Survey of Spatio-Temporal Databases

Spatio-temporal databases aim to support extensions to existing models of Spatial Information Systems (SIS) to include time in order to better describe our dynamic environment. Although interest into this area has increased in the past decade, a number of important issues remain to be investigated. With the advances made in temporal database research, we can expect a more uni®ed approach towards aspatial temporal data in SIS and a wider discussion on spatio-temporal data models. This paper provides an overview of previous achievements within the ®eld and highlights areas currently receiving or requiring further investigation.