Patent ID: 8458225

Claim:
A method for handling spatially referenced data comprising: identifying, with at least one processor, a volumetric storage unit (VSU) database representing a volumetric storage space comprising a set of unique volumetric storage units, wherein data elements are stored to specific ones of the VSUs, wherein a spatial position of the data elements within the volumetric storage space is defined at least in part by which of the VSUs the data elements are stored, wherein at least a portion of the data elements comprise a plurality of different sensory attributes; within the VSU database, establishing, with at least one processor, a plurality of VSU records in a VSU table, where each of the VSU records of the VSU table corresponds to one of the VSUs, wherein said VSU table is stored in a tangible storage medium; and for each of the VSU records, storing values for a unique VSU identifier, which uniquely identifies one of the VSUs represented by the corresponding one of the VSU records; for each of the VSU records, storing values for the plurality of different sensory attributes, wherein the plurality of different sensory attributes comprise visual attributes and at least one attribute selected from a group of attributes consisting of a spectral signature attribute, an olfaction attribute, an audition attribute, a gustation attribute, a somatsensory attribute, and a material composition attribute, wherein each of the different sensory attributes of the VSU records apply to a specific subregion of the volumetric storage space, wherein values of the unique VSU identifiers of the VSU records define a set of VSUs, which define at least a portion of the specific-sub-region and establishing, within a feature database, a plurality of feature records in a plurality of feature tables, wherein each of the feature records comprises a unique feature identifier, a feature type, and a plurality of feature attributes, wherein a feature corresponds to a tangible object or a representation of a tangible object, wherein different feature tables are tables specific to different types of tangible objects, and wherein the feature attributes of the feature tables are specific attributes for tangible objects or representations of tangible objects, which vary from feature table to feature table; and establishing, within the feature database, a plurality of shape records in a shape table, wherein each of the shape records comprises a unique shape identifier, a shape type, a plurality of shape attributes, and a foreign key to a feature identifier, wherein types of shapes are primitive shapes that comprise a box, a cylinder, a sphere, and a cone, wherein a one-to-many relationship exists between features and slopes, wherein each VSU record of the VSU table; comprises a foreign key to a shape identifier uniquely identifying a shape record of the shape table.