A Semantic View on Planetary Mapping—Investigating Limitations and Knowledge Modeling through Contextualization and Composition

Abstract

The concept of planetary mapping constitutes different activities within different contexts. Much like the field of cartography, it is an amalgamation of science, techniques, and artistic disciplines. It has undergone considerable changes over the last decades to cope with increasing demands related to data management, analysis, and visualization. Planetary mapping employs abstraction, which involves simplifications and generalizations. It aims to produce accessible visualization of planetary surfaces to gain insights and knowledge. Here, we show that different manifestations of this concept are interdependent and we discuss how different mapping concepts relate to each other semantically. We reason that knowledge gain can only be achieved through thematic mapping. The reasoning for systematic mapping and exploration is an intellectual product of thematic mapping. In order to highlight these relationships, we (a) develop in-depth definitions for different types of planetary mapping, (b) discuss data and knowledge flow across different mapping concepts, and (c) highlight systemic limitations related to data that we acquire and attempt to abstract through models. We finally develop a semantic proto-model that focuses on the transformation of information and knowledge between mapping domains. We furthermore argue that due to compositionality, map products suffer not only from abstraction but also from limitations related to uncertainties during data processing. We conclude that a complete database is needed for mapping in order to establish contextualization and extract knowledge. That knowledge is needed for reasoning for planning and operational decision making. This work furthermore aims to motivate future community-based discussions on functional semantic models and ontologies for the future development of knowledge extraction from thematic maps.

A Cartographic Perspective on the Planetary Geologic Mapping Investigation of Ceres

“…It is therefore likely, that the selection of a foundational data product that has been created with a different target audience in mind (see the discussion in the next section) has introduced considerable bias and ambiguities that limit the potential of the final product. It has been shown in van Gasselt and Nass [68] that geologic mapping based on remote sensing data introduces a number of uncertainties, and thus by reducing these uncertainties, the integrity of the final product could be improved. Given the lack of geologic complexity in the mapping area, additional datasets might not change the overall picture considerably.…”

“…Upon working towards the primary project results, a balance needs to be found between addressing the needs for targeted research data management and leaving wide-open research freedom. While this could lead to a discussion about the role of mapping as a research tool [68], a more pragmatic approach would be to find a balance discussed within the team and constrained through a mapping data model and topology rule checks on contacts and units.…”

Cartographic Metadata for Improving Accessibility and Facilitating Knowledge Extraction and Validation in Planetary Mapping Based on Remote-Sensing Observations

“…• systematic or reconnaissance mapping, i.e., raw data acquisition and basic processing using remote-sensing platforms mainly; • reference mapping in the form of compiling reference maps, i.e., mostly image and topographic reference maps; • thematic mapping, i.e., the abstraction of information to build complex-analytical thematic maps. These can be geological maps, landing-site maps, or any other form of thematic information within a consistent spatial context [8].…”

“…This then closes the cycle (Figure 1) and establishes the connection between these three mapping concepts. This concept also implies that the quality of a thematic map highly depends on the quality of each input product that contributed to the development of a thematic map [8]. Our point of departure for this investigation is the assumption that digital maps need to have three characteristics to qualify as reusable and sustainable research products, which we will discuss in the contribution:…”

Cartography of the Solar System: Remote Sensing beyond Earth

“…Mapping and spectral analysis [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]; • Data processing and data products [8][9][10]; • Impact crater and feature detection [11,12]; • Pose estimation [13,14]; • Research data management and valuation [15,16].…”