Spatial “Habits of Mind” In Practice, Part II

I et tidligere indlæg refererede jeg hvorledes vi tænker spatialt. Her er fortsættelsen.

In a previous post I referred to how we think spatially. Here is the next bit.

/Sik

Source: http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/gisedcom/archive/2008/07/18/spatial-habits-of-mind-in-practice-part-ii-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-spatial-thinker.aspx

Spatial “Habits of Mind” In Practice, Part II: A Day in the Life of A Spatial Thinker

We are considering how spatial habits of mind might manifest themselves in 15 different ways in a typical day in the life of a spatial thinker.

[4] The shuttle reaches the crest of a small hill, and you think about the many nearly imperceptible hills that are more important than they seem, for they may form the boundaries of drainage basins that are hundreds of square kilometers in size.

[5] The land use noticeably changes as you near the airport. The cargo and commercial operators, rental car companies, hotels, convention centers, and other services together may occupy up to dozens of square kilometers. You wonder how the land use evolved over time, and what the land looked like while the airport was small, and what the native vegetation was like before the modern, and perhaps non-native, landscaping was planted. You think about how this airport’s land use differs from others around the country, and how these collectively are different from those in other countries. I will always remember, for example, the first time I flew into Gatwick Airport. As one of the busiest airports serving London and the largest single-runway airport in the world, I was amazed to find sheep grazing in a field directly across the street from the airport, something I have never seen in North America. Who made the decision to protect the open space near Gatwick, and why have those efforts failed elsewhere?

[6] You arrive at the airport and marvel at the sea of vehicles in parking lots. If you mapped the starting point for each vehicle, what would be the resulting geographic pattern? Is there any relationship between the distance traveled and the amount of time the vehicle is parked at the airport? How did people make the decision to drive instead of using a shuttle or public transportation?

- Joseph Kerski, ESRI Education Manager

Filed under: Spatial Thinking