The transformation mechanism of semantic scale of geographical information and its formalization

In geographical information science, scale is a foundational issue. Traditionally, people pay more attention to spatial and temporal character of the scale of geographical information, and semantic character is always ignored. As probing into the connotation of scale of geographical information, three-tiered conceptualization of scale has been introduced: dimensions, kinds, and components. Dimensions of scale of geographical information are of space, time, and properties (semantic). Firstly, this paper defines the connotation of semantic scale, points out its characterization and measures, and discusses the relations of semantic scale, spatial scale and temporal scale. Secondly, this paper make a thorough inquiry into transformation mechanism of semantic scale in geographical information science, and it involves two aspects: transformation of semantic levels of relations of “class-super-class” and transformation of semantic levels of relation of “whole-part”. Finally its formalization of the semantic transformation mechanism of geographical information of the two aspects is presented based on algebraic approach.