Thinking with Space
We attended at the 5th Geographic Information Systems conference at Istanbul the 2-5 July, where we were introducing our Geoconcepts architecture. One of the main themes of the conference was Geographic Information Science Education. Robert S. Bednarz and Sarah W. Bednarz introduced us some key points in spatial thinking skills and explicit spatial training. They consider three main scenarios in spatial thinking:
- Thinking IN space. This happens in our daily activities, when we move from one place to another, or when we arrange things in space, as these big amount of unread papers in my desk
- Thinking ABOUT space. This is more related to geographic science, and to the study of how reality is organized spatially. Maps and 3D models are convinient ways to think about space.
- Thinking WITH space. Sometimes we use spatial representations for abstract or complex concepts or theories. An example could be a hierarchy diagram of an ontology classes. Also graphs, concept maps etc. are powerful tools to think with space.
These three contexts overlap so often. For instance, in Geospatial ontologies modeling, we use space (WITH space) to model how we think spatially (IN space), and try to approach our traditional ways to explain space (ABOUT space).
