A spatial-query-driven transformation between metric spatial relations and naturallanguage spatial relations: taking regions as example

Spatial relations between spatial entities can be obtained by two means. One is computed and obtained by spatial data, and the other is obtained by human spatial cognition. So, they are named as metric spatial relations and natural-language spatial relations, respectively. This paper is focused on filling the gap between these two kinds of spatial relations. For this purpose, regions are taken as example, and three steps are included. Metric spatial relations are first depicted by combining topological predicates with metric parameters, where a mapping is built between the topological predicates and the metric parameters. Second, natural-language spatial relations are represented by combining topological predicates with quantifiers, where quantifiers are differentiated into two types: vague quantifiers and critical quantifiers. They are respectively used to describe quantitative and qualitative change in the process of the transformation between neighboring topological predicates. Finally, the association between metric parameters and quantifiers is further illustrated and analyzed by a questionnaire. With these three steps, the linkage can be built between metric spatial relations and natural-language spatial relations. The proposed methods have been proven to be rational by the performances of spatial query.