Knowledge Discovery and Geographical Databases

Geographic data are characterized by huge volumes, lack of standards, multiplicity of data sources, multi-scale requirements, and variability in time. These characteristics make geographic information complex and uncertain. At the same time, the important growth of the quantity of data manipulated and the necessity to make rapid decisions imposed the appearance and the great progress of new tools like data warehousing techniques. Data warehouse is usually defined as a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, and non-volatile collection of data in support of decision-making processes.