thingsplaces

Thingsplaces is a concept in information science that describes the linkage or integration of things (individual objects, devices, or artifacts) with places (locations, spaces, or regions). The term emphasizes the association between an object and its position in the physical world, enabling contextual queries and analyses that combine object data with geographic information.

Origins and usage: The term is not a formal standard but appears in discussions of the Web of Things, smart cities, and data integration. Implementations typically rely on semantic technologies such as RDF/OWL or schema.org payloads, with place data represented as Place or geographic shapes and object data as Thing types. Common properties include locatedIn, hasLocation, near, and coordinates.

Structure and examples: A sensor device may be described as a Thing locatedIn a building room, with coordinates and timestamped readings. A museum artifact can be a Thing associated with a Place representing an exhibit hall. In logistics, cargo items attached to warehouses and routes illustrate dynamic things-places mappings.

Applications and benefits: Thingsplaces enable spatially aware queries, provenance tracking, and improved search and discovery across objects and spaces, supporting asset management, urban planning, and cultural heritage projects.

Challenges: Data quality, privacy, and the evolution of places over time pose challenges for maintaining accurate associations.

See also: Internet of Things, Geographic Information System, Semantic Web, Linked Data, Schema.org, GeoSPARQL, GeoJSON.