Welcome to the SemanticGIS Framework

The semanticGIS Framework

The semanticGIS framework provides a structured methodology for conducting transparent and repeatable geospatial analysis. It is built on three core components: a five-phase project structure, a comprehensive documentation protocol, and a formal language for defining your analysis.

1. The Five-Phase Project Process Workflow

Every project is structured into five distinct phases, moving logically from the initial question to the final dissemination. This process provides a clear roadmap for your work, ensuring all critical steps are addressed systematically.

➡️ Learn about the Five-Phase Process

2. The Design Rationale 📓

The Design Rationale is the “lab notebook” for your project. It is a structured document where you record every decision, assumption, and process from start to finish. This practice ensures your work is transparent, auditable, and easily understood by others.

➡️ Read the guide on the Design Rationale

3. The Abstract-First Pipeline (DSL) 🔗

We use a simple, human-readable Domain-Specific Language (DSL) to define the analytical workflow before implementing it in any specific GIS software. This abstract recipe is the single source of truth for your analysis and can be used to automatically generate several outputs:

• Mermaid Flowcharts for visualising the logical steps.

• Step-by-step Recipes for desktop GIS software (e.g., QGIS).

• Executable Python Scripts for automated processing.

➡️ Explore the DSL and the Abstract-First Pipeline