Parameterized Spatial SQL Translation for Geographic Question Answering

Abstract

Spatial SQL (structured query language) is a powerful tool for systematically solving geographic problems, however, it has not been widely applied to the problem of geographic question answering. This paper introduces a parameterized approach to translate natural language geographic questions into spatial SQLs. In particular, three types of complexity are introduced and initial solutions are proposed to deal with these complexities. The entire parameterization process is implemented to generate spatial SQL templates for five types of geographic questions. It is suggested that our approach is useful for solving natural geographic problems using spatial functions such as those in a GIS.