Knowledge discovery in spatial cartographic information retrieval

LIBRARY CATALOGS FOR MAP COLLECTIONS are not well developed in most libraries. The cartographic information source differs from other kinds of information in that it is usually rectangular in shape and defined by the coordinates of the four map corners. This coordinate information proves difficult for many people to use, unless a certain user interface is designed and knowledge discovery algorithms are implemented. A system with such an interface and algorithms can perform powerful queries that an ordinary text-based information retrieval system cannot. This article describes a prototype system-GeoMatch-which allows users to interactively define geographic areas of interest on a background map. It also allows users to define, qualitatively or quantitatively, the relationship between the user-defined area and the map coverage. The knowledge discovery in database (KDD) factor is analyzed in the retrieval process. Three librarians were interviewed to study the feasibility of the new system. The MARC record format is also discussed to argue that conversion of cartographic material records from an existing library online catalog system to GeoMatch can be done automatically.