Geospatial topology

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Geospatial topology is the application of mathematical typology on geospatial problems. The motivating insight behind topology is that some geometric problems depend not on the exact shape of the objects involved, but rather on the "way they are connected together". One of the first papers in topology was the demonstration, by Leonhard Euler, that it was impossible to find a route through the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) that would cross each of its seven bridges exactly once. This result did not depend on the lengths of the bridges, nor on their distance from one another, but only on connectivity properties: which bridges are connected to which islands or riverbanks. This problem, the Seven Bridges of Königsberg, is now a famous problem in introductory mathematics, and led to the branch of mathematics known as graph theory.

The Seven Bridges of Königsberg, one of the most famous problems in topology
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The Seven Bridges of Königsberg, one of the most famous problems in topology

Contents

[edit] Applications

[edit] GIS

ESRI ArcGIS poster listing several topology rules in use within GIS.
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ESRI ArcGIS poster listing several topology rules in use within GIS.

[edit] Urban planning

[edit] Logistics

[edit] Military strategy