Visual user interface for spatial databases combined with landscape images and sensors

Geographic information systems (GIS) can integrate various types of geographic data by utilizing computers. With recent mobile computer environments and advanced positioning devices, e.g., GPS, users can link digital information with entities in the real world. However, current GIS are not able to treat geographic objects so that users passively receive ready-made maps. In order to support future fields of GIS activity, more intuitive interfaces are required to retrieve, visualize and store geographic data dynamically in real time. This paper proposes a new user interface with which a user accesses spatial databases through landscape images. An intuitive interface is presented with which users can treat the data as they want and access spatial databases directly from their watching scenery. The architecture of our prototype system is also presented