等高线方法是地形图上表达地貌的常用方法。定量测量等高线图上蕴涵的各类信息，对于地理学、测绘学等学科的许多应用领域有重要意义。在本文第一部分，首先分析了地图信息的种类，然后分析了现有的基于Shannon信息熵的地图信息度量方法, 提出一种基于Voronoi图的等高线几何信息度量方法，以及基于树的等高线拓扑信息度量方法，并选取实际的等高线图进行了实验分析。 利用最新的航空航天影像及其他现势资料，分析地表变化的频率与幅度，确定更新范围与对象，提取变化信息，是我国基础地理数据库更新的必由之路。在本文第二部分，首先介绍了GIS数据库更新的研究现状，然后重点介绍了利用遥感影像更新GIS数据库中的两个关键环节——地理要素特征提取和变化检测技术——的目前研究进展。最后对将国产高分辨率卫星遥感影像用于更新进行了展望。

Contour lines are the common mean for representing landform on topographic maps. Quantitative measure of contour map information is important for many applciation fields such as geography and survey. In the first part of the dissertation, the kinds of map information are analyzed, as well as the mostly used Shannon’s entropy-based method for quantitatively measureing map information. Based on this, a Voronoi diagram-based method for measureing geometric information of topographic contours, and a contour tree-based method for measureing topological information of topographic contours are proposed. Some preliminary tests are then given in which real contour maps are used. Using the up to date aero-images and satellite images and other materials, and analyzing the frequency and extent of change of landform, so as to identify the extent and objects for updating and abstracting change information, is the most effective way for updating fundamental geographic databases for China. In the second part of the dissertation, the status quo of the researches of GIS database upataing is firstly introduced. Then, two key issues in the process of updating GIS database using remote sensing images are introduced. The first one is technolgies of abstracting of geographic features from images. The second one is technologies of change detection. After that, future researches of using homemade high reselution satellite images on updating are pointed out.