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Research Area 1
Qualitative Spatial Reasoning & Place Modelling
Foundational research on representing and reasoning about geographic place using qualitative spatial methods
This research area forms the core of my research programme, spanning over 15 years and encompassing foundational work on qualitative spatial reasoning through to ongoing projects on place knowledge graphs and geographic question answering. The work addresses how we can formally represent and reason about geographic places in ways that align with human understanding — using qualitative expressions like "near", "north of", and "inside" rather than purely coordinate-based approaches.
SWSRL — a hybrid framework integrating qualitative symbolic reasoning with quantitative geometric information for geo-ontologies on the Semantic Web.
15 years of research on formal representation of geographic place — from place affordance and geo-folksonomies to qualitative place models on the Linked Data Web.
The DLIG ontology design pattern for unified representation of vague and crisp place descriptions in global-scale knowledge graphs.
A framework extending qualitative place modelling with DGGS integration (H3, S2) for place creation and semantic interoperability in GIS.
LLM-based approaches to answering natural language questions about geographic knowledge, bridging semantic place models with conversational AI.
This research programme has established foundational methods for qualitative spatial reasoning on the Semantic Web, developed novel ontology design patterns for place representation, and continues to push boundaries in integrating place semantics with modern AI and GIS technologies. The work has produced multiple PhD graduates now working in academia and industry, and has influenced approaches to geographic information representation internationally.