Map integrity constraint verification by using visual language parsing

In the last decade there has been an increasing interest in the use of tools for the creation of geographic maps. However, these tools include functionalities that allow users to insert information without verifying their consistency with the constraints defined by the designer. In this paper we propose an approach based on visual language parsing for guaranteeing the integrity of data produced during the map editing process. According to our approach, constraints are expressed by using high-level data model, such as OMT-G, and converted in a proper visual language grammar automatically. From such a grammar, a parser able to identify incorrect aggregation of spatial data input is generated. The grammar formalism also allows us to associate suitable semantic actions with productions in order to perform automatic corrections of inconsistent input data, error recognition and visualization, prompting actions for error recovery. We also present a system prototype supporting the proposed process.