Analyzing approaches to figurative-sign environment modeling for solving special tasks

The progress of computer technology has led to significant changes in the practice of spatial data graphical representation forming. The authors discuss the prospects of using cartographic animations to assess the situation on the ground, planning and managing the activities of operational services’ units in the course of solving special tasks, ways of increasing the automation level in the process of forming the situation’s spatial-temporal geo-information model. The goal is to solve a definite special problem due to the widespread use of the global navigation satellite systems consumer equipment, integrated with a wide range of onboard sensors (measuring instruments) in both stationary and mobile versions. It is justified that processing of point clouds obtained as a result of periodic measurements tied to a single time scale and spatial coordinate system will provide the management of operational services with a relevant geo-information model of the situation in the area of solving the mentioned matters. Various approaches to creating a figurative-sign model of the situation and formation of conventional signs used for its making are also considered. It is proposed to move from a traditional system of grouping spatial data in a geo-information model by thematic layers to an object-oriented hierarchy of spatial items, where the more global objects will be the "owners" of the constituent ones from the spatial or semantic point of view of the local features, that will provide increased flexibility of algorithms of automatic formation of a frame of cartographic animation due to application of recursive call of rendering methods for each component entering the hierarchy with arguments specific for each one.