Reasoning over Spatial Orientation Relations Using Rules

Representation of spatial information for the Semantic Web often involves
qualitative defined information (i.e., information described using natural
language terms such as "Left"), since precise arithmetic descriptions using coordinates
and angles are not always available. A basic aspect of spatial information
is directional relations, thus embedding directional spatial relations into ontologies
along with their semantics and reasoning rules is an important practical issue.
This work proposes a new representation for directional spatial information
in ontologies by means of OWL properties and reasoning rules in SWRL embedded
into the ontology. The proposed representation is based on the combination
of object orientations (e.g., same direction or opposite) and cone shaped directional
relations of positions using an egocentric reference (e.g., left or right of
an object). The proposed representation is to the best of our knowledge a novel
one, and in this work, the proposed representation is analysed, implemented and
evaluated.