Multilevel representations of multiple geographical objects

Abstract In this work, we explore different solutions for the problem of representing and querying geographical objects at different scales (zoom levels). In Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the maps we see when looking at the world at a planetary scale versus seeing the detailed coast of one province of a particular country are typically different, since GIS stores several maps, each with the appropriate level of detail for visualizing at a different scale. With the technique presented in this paper, it is possible to store and query the data of multiple geographical objects at different levels of scale, drastically reducing space consumption.