**4.3 Translation engine**

The translation engine is a part of the spatial facilitator that allows the computation of spatial SPARQL queries and spatial SWRL rules. In both cases, the translation engine interprets the statements in order to parse the spatial components. Once the spatial components are parsed, they are computed through relevant spatial functions and operations by the translation engine through the operations provided at the database level. The results are populated in the knowledge base thus making it spatially rich. After that, the spatial statements are translated to standard statements for the executions through their respective engines. With the inference engine, the enrichment and the population of the ontology through the results of the inference process is stored in the ontology.

The next sections present in details the translation engine and more specifically the translation process of spatial SPARQL queries to regular queries. The following one presents the translation process of spatial SWRL rules to regular SWRL rules. These two processes have in common the use of SQL statements to query to the spatial database.

Fig. 8. The spatial processing of the translation Engine.

182 Semantics – Advances in Theories and Mathematical Models

the functions and operations within these two categories which are the georelationship functions and the geoprocessing functions. These functions are defined by the OGC consortium. The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) is an international industry consortium of 404 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface standards. OpenGIS® Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The standards empower technology developers to make complex

The top level ontology should model spatial technology in terms of its spatial functions and operations. This modeling process should accommodate the spatial functions and

The translation engine is a part of the spatial facilitator that allows the computation of spatial SPARQL queries and spatial SWRL rules. In both cases, the translation engine interprets the statements in order to parse the spatial components. Once the spatial components are parsed, they are computed through relevant spatial functions and operations by the translation engine through the operations provided at the database level. The results are populated in the knowledge base thus making it spatially rich. After that, the spatial statements are translated to standard statements for the executions through their respective engines. With the inference engine, the enrichment and the population of the

The next sections present in details the translation engine and more specifically the translation process of spatial SPARQL queries to regular queries. The following one presents the translation process of spatial SWRL rules to regular SWRL rules. These two processes

spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.

ontology through the results of the inference process is stored in the ontology.

have in common the use of SQL statements to query to the spatial database.

Fig. 8. The spatial processing of the translation Engine.

operations and maintain their true identity.

**4.3 Translation engine**
