Capturing and modeling geographic object change: A SpatioTemporal Gazetteer framework

A SpatioTemporal Gazetteer as a model to manage change information at the g eographic entity instance level is presented. The Gazetteer framework links an image repository, that is the source of change information, to instance s of geographic entities, and is change specific to these instances. The ab ility to quickly detect and extract change from image data is an essential component of the model. The paper also presents a modified template matchin g function used to detect change, and describes the association of this fun ction with the spatiotemporal gazetteer. The change detection function embe dded within the spatiotemporal gazetteer creates a foundation for up-to-dat e geospatial information and change information that can serve rapid-respon se decision-making applications.