An analysis of temporal and spatial relations

In this paper, we explore the links between two well-known models in spatial and temporal reasoning - Allen´s interval algebra in temporal reasoning and the RCC model in spatial reasoning. We show that the temporal relations identified by interval algebra are actually a combination of RCC-8 relations with directional relations. The work divides RCC-8 relations into two distinct sets with respect to directional factors. This result can be utilized to combine topology and directional relations in particular applications.