The Ontology of Land Boundaries under Natural Change: Erosion and
Accretion of Sandy Shoals in Nantucket Sound
Mike Coan and Max Egenhofer
Abstract
The interplay between natural and administrative boundaries
provides a rich domain for studies of change. This paper develops
an ontology of land boundaries under natural change, motivated by
erosion and accretion of some small islands in Nantucket Sound off
the Cape Cod shoreline. Natural change may modify existing legal
boundaries, sometimes even eliminate entire land parcels under
erosion. On the other hand, under accretion new legal boundaries
may be created. A concise formal model has been developed that
summarizes the types of changes possible. Such ontologies may
enable future geographic information systems to do intelligent
prediction and forecasting.
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