Constructing geographic digital libraries using a hypermedia framework

This paper presents an object oriented hypermedia database framework for de signing and building digital libraries, which are treated as enhanced hyper media applications. It is based on combining and extending results from two domains: the navigation characteristics of hypertext systems, and the view mechanism and the persistent storage management facility of an object orie nted database management system. As a result, users can alternate between t wo integrated types of interaction modes. The hypertext dimension of the fr amework allows navigation via static and dynamic hyperlinks; the object ori ented database support enables querying by content and metadata management. The framework includes still a digital library design methodology that gui des the implementation of digital libraries over the OODBMS. This proposal integrates hypermedia and DL concepts to a database environment, being inst antiated on the realm of geographic data.