大型遥感图像处理应用系统中，往往需要实时获取各种背景或专题数据，该过程即是数据动态集成过程。集成数据库是建立在各种专题数据基础上的数据集成使用框架体系，该文描述了集成数据库的结构及各类子库的组成，根据项目的特殊需求提出了虚拟数据库概念，并结合实例说明了集成数据库以元数据为链条的使用机制与方法

It is necessary to provide any essential background data and thematic data timely in image processing and applications. In fact, it is very difficult to integrate different kinds of data into one database that is managed by commercial GIS or image processing software such as ARC/INFO or ERDAS. In this paper, the author describes an integrated database management system which is a framework based on different kinds of database, such as image database, vector spatial database, spatial entity spectrum characteristics database, spatial entity image sample database, control point (tics) database, documents database, models database, and product database. The querying and retrieving system, which are basic functions of integrated database management system, depend on metadata being divided into three parts: database metadata, dataset metadata and attribute field metadata. Finally, the author introduces the concept of virtual database that is a logical database based on other practical databases, and describes its structure and application in product making system for a large remote sensing application in detail.