Towards a Framework for Functional Representation of Spatial Relations

Although human perception is geometrically constrained, not all geometric relations are equally prominent and not all geometric relations are used in everyday settings in human perception. Further, some geometric relations are systematically transformed. In this study we describe a robust geometric framework expressing spatial relations but including some strong and systematic non-geometric extensions that operate in human perception. We generally adopt the view that spatial cognition centers on qualitative spatial relations, including geometrical and topological but also functional ones (Coventry and Garrod, 2004, Gärdenfors, 2014, Mani and Pustejovsky, 2012). The topological and geometrical principles of qualitative spatial reasoning have been formalized using the framework of the Region Connection Calculus (RCC; Cohn et al., 1997), complemented with convexity and distance and orientation primitives. In work in progress, we extend this framework to include functional relations (Coventry and Garrod, 2004, Vandeloise, 1991). The central functional relations are identified as locational control and support, as they enable us to characterize a wide range of further relations, including interlocking, containment, functional enclosure and telicity.