Qualitative spatial reasoning with uncertain evidence using Markov logic networks

Abstract Probabilistic logics combine the ability to reason about complex scenes, with a rigorous approach to uncertainty. This paper explores the construction of probabilistic spatial logics through the combination of established qualitative spatial calculi together with Markov logic networks (MLNs). Qualitative spatial calculi provide the basis for automated representation and reasoning with complex spatial scenes; MLNs provide a rigorous basis for handling uncertainty and driving probabilistic inference. Our approach focuses specifically on the combination of an uncertain knowledge base with a certain spatial reasoning rule-base. The experiments explore how uncertain knowledge propagates through certain qualitative spatial inferences, using the specific example of reasoning with cardinal directions. The results provide a template for probabilistic qualitative spatial reasoning more generally, with applications to a wide range of common scenarios for situational awareness and automated reasoning under uncertainty.