Even though different applications based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide different features and functions, they all share a set of common concepts (e.g., spatial data types, operations, services), a common architecture, and a common set of technologies. Furthermore, common structures appear repeatedly in different GIS, although they have to be specialized in specific application domains. Multilevel modeling is an approach to model-driven engineering (MDE) in which the number of metamodel levels is not fixed. This approach aims at solving the limitations of a two-level metamodeling approach, which forces the designer to include all the metamodel elements at the same level. In this paper, we address the application of multilevel modeling to the domain of GIS, and we evaluate its potential benefits. Although we do not present a complete set of models, we present four representative scenarios supported by example models. One of them is based on the standards defined by ISO TC/211 and the Open Geospatial Consortium. The other three are based on the EU INSPIRE Directive (territory administration, spatial networks, and facility management). These scenarios show that multilevel modeling can provide more benefits to GIS modeling than a two-level metamodeling approach.

尽管基于地理信息系统 (GIS) 的不同应用程序提供不同的特性和功能，但它们都共享一组共同的概念（例如，空间数据类型、操作、服务）、共同的体系结构和一组共同的技术。此外，公共结构在不同的 GIS 中反复出现，尽管它们必须专门用于特定的应用领域。多级建模是模型驱动工程 (MDE) 的一种方法，其中元模型级别的数量不固定。这种方法旨在解决两级元建模方法的局限性，它迫使设计者将所有元模型元素都包含在同一级别。在本文中，我们讨论了多级建模在 GIS 领域的应用，并评估了它的潜在好处。虽然我们没有提供完整的模型集，但我们提供了示例模型支持的四种代表性场景。其中之一是基于 ISO TC/211 和开放地理空间联盟定义的标准。其他三个基于 EU INSPIRE 指令（领土管理、空间网络和设施管理）。这些场景表明，多级建模可以为 GIS 建模提供比两级元建模方法更多的好处。