Geospatial semantic Web: architecture of ontologies

An effective ontology architecture using the semantic Web enables the development of a semantic geospatial system that forges multiple geospatial data sources and services into a powerful cross-discipline knowledge tool. This paper outlines five interrelated ontologies that support a complete semantic geospatial system. The ontologies contribute to a working example that illustrates the advantages of semantic technologies in addressing geospatial challenges. The outlined advantages include complex query decomposition, seamless integration of non-semantic services, and dynamic customization to a specific domain of interest. We encourage the development of these ontologies into useful standards for further exploiting geospatial data and services