Development of an Ontology for Modeling Spatial Planning Systems

Abstract

The incorporation of computer-based technologies into spatial planning has increased the availability of spatial information. Ontologies are prominent in this process because they create repositories of digital information that can help an interdisciplinary interaction among experts, or between experts and citizens, or they can support informed decisions by policymakers or administration so as to limit discretionary powers and enhance shared community futures. This paper proposes an ontology that models the relations among the domestic actors, development policies, spatial schemes, spatial schemes’ administrative bounds, spatial levels and evaluation process in a spatial planning system. Interests in this paper occur in gathering an enriched and complex knowledge base for planning purposes which can deal with the complexity of spatial problems in terms of knowledge, cognition, perception, domestic actors’ behaviors and expectations, roles and interactions. The proposed ontology could be used as the core of a knowledge infrastructure for storing, organizing, and monitoring the implementations of existing spatial schemes and plans on national, regional, and local scales. As a case study, this paper discusses the spatial planning system in Greece, as such knowledge infrastructure is critically lacking in the Greek state.