Multi resolution feature extraction: source data processing for the revision of map objects

As a result of increased data access through development in interoperability, conventional and new users will expect to identify and acquire suitable datasets via an Internet environment. If the available data are not at a level of appropriate representation and information detail, users will expect appropriate tools with which to combine and transform it for their intended application. Thus effective methods for temporal updating, generalization, and visualization become more pressing for the geomatics community to resolve. The evolving and expanding user community will need better tools to transform and manipulate the geo-spatial data into a form that complies with standard as well as new application areas. This research paper addresses the first stage of processing and presents methods currently being developed for the feature extraction component. The objects selected for testing are hydrographic, transportation and coastline features as they form the foundation and contextual reference for many types of maps.