Linguistic modelling of imperfect spatial information as a basis for simplifying spatial analysis

Spatial analysis is at the basis of several decision processes in fields such as urban planning and environmental management. In order to carry it out effectively more flexible Geographic Information Systems are needed to be able to represent and manage the imperfection that invariably affects geographic information. Starting from the consideration that experts usually deal with imperfect spatial information through linguistic terms (e.g., they identify the approximate position of a phenomenon on a map and classify spatial properties through linguistic labels), this contribution proposes the use of linguistic granule of information to represent and manage imperfect spatial information. A fuzzy object-based data model is proposed as a tool for supporting spatial analysis based on the management of linguistic granule. In particular, the problem of defining methods to manage imperfect information depending on the type of imperfection is discussed. Finally, an example of spatial analysis applied to support a decision problem in environmental impact assessment is described.