A fuzzy set approach for modeling time in GIS

This paper describes an application of fuzzy set theory to perform temporal interpolation in a raster GIS database. Specific fuzzy membership function s have been derived to simulate spatial changes between consecutive snapsho ts registered in the database. The proposed approach is tested on a very dy namic rural-urban environment of Montreal Metropolitan area in Quebec, Cana da, covering the period from 1956 to 1986 with a temporal resolution of ten years. A user friendly software package named FUZZY_TEMP was developed and integrated in the GRASS4.1 environment in order to perform the implementat ion of the developed concepts.