A Temporal Spatial Access Method

In this paper, we present a novel temporal spatial access method that is based on the PM Quad tree. It is intended for the efficient management of multi-version maps, where each version is a result of some kinds of modifications at a given point of time. A structure, that is based on quad trees and that is capable of representing the differences between and the different versions of the same spatial object, is introduced. It minimizes redundant data and reduces the amount of storage required. The general framework and the specification of the proposed structure are elaborated. The versioning aspect of the proposed structure is introduced in a temporal context where a data of a given version is defined in terms of its timestamp creation and its timestamp deletion. The proposed structure provides greater flexibility in manipulating the latest version as well as the different past stored version.