A Survey on Spatio-Temporal Knowledge Graph Models
Current spatiotemporal knowledge graph (STKG) models suffer from fundamental limitations—including conceptual fragmentation, terminological inconsistency, poor reusability, and inadequate support for long-term knowledge preservation—arising from their disparate foundations in static, temporal, and spatial graph paradigms. To address these issues, this work introduces the first multidimensional analytical framework encompassing edge semantics, spatiotemporal annotation, and semantic modeling. Through a systematic literature review and cross-dimensional comparative analysis, we clarify the theoretical evolution of STKGs. We further propose a general-purpose modeling guideline explicitly designed for long-term knowledge preservation, establish standardized design principles, and distill six key open challenges. Our contributions provide both theoretical foundations and practical pathways for transitioning STKGs from application-specific solutions toward universal, sustainable knowledge infrastructure.