To support users in querying geographic databases we have developed a system that lets people sketch what they are looking for. It closes the gap between user and information system, because the translation of a user's question into a processable query statement is delegated to the information system so that a user can focus on the actual query rather than spending time with its formulation. This system paper highlights a set of interaction methods and sketch interpretation algorithms that are necessary for pen-based querying of geographic information systems. They are part of a comprehensive prototype implementation of SpatialQuery-by-Sketch, which provides feature-based and relationbased spatial similarity retrieval.
KeywordsVisual user interaction, sketching, sketch-based querying, spatial information retrieval system.
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