Local equivalence relations

In this paper, we investigate the concept of local equivalence relation, a notion suggested by Grothendieck. A local equivalence relation on a topological space X is a global section of the sheaf of germs of equivalence relations on X. We investigate the extent to which a local equivalence relation can be described by a global one and analogously when can a global equivalence relation be recovered from its associated local one. We also look at the notion of a fiber map, which sheds further light on these concepts. A motivating example is that of a foliation on a manifold.