Reasoning About Distance Based on Fuzzy Sets

摘要

Most computer systems that deal with issues of space reason about distance by using a metric. For example, most geographic information systems apply the euclidean metric, requiring all subjects to adhere to the same view of space. As a result, dealing with imprecise or uncertain geographic information becomes difficult or sometimes even impossible. In this paper, we describe a way of reasoning about distance that is not restricted to euclidean geometry. The idea is to use fuzzy sets to describe how close objects are to each other.