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Selected Data About Geographic Locations

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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) rely on two core types of data: spatial data and attribute data.Spatial DataSpatial data defines the physical location of features within a coordinate system, typically expressed in terms of latitude and longitude. It provides precise positioning for elements like roads, rivers, or buildings.Attribute DataAttribute data complements spatial data by adding descriptive information about these features. For example, a road's spatial data includes its start and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Spatial representation across species: geometry, language, and maps.

Barbara Landau¹, Laura Lakusta

¹Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. landau@cogsci.jhu.edu

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

|March 24, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Humans and animals share a geometric spatial reorientation system. Humans uniquely enhance this system with language and maps, developing advanced spatial cognition by 18 months.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Comparative Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

The spatial reorientation system is fundamental for navigation and survival.
This system is shared across species, relying on geometric information.
Evidence suggests this system functions modularly.

Purpose of the Study:

To review evidence on the geometric basis of spatial reorientation.
To explore uniquely human enhancements to spatial cognition: language and maps.
To compare the development and function of these human enhancements.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on spatial reorientation in humans and nonhuman species.
Analysis of research on the role of geometry in navigation.
Examination of developmental and functional aspects of language and maps in spatial cognition.

Main Results:

Spatial reorientation in both humans and nonhuman species prioritizes geometric cues.
Humans possess unique abilities to utilize language and explicit maps for spatial tasks.
Language and maps, while both human cultural tools, differ in representational format, function, and development.

Conclusions:

The shared geometric spatial system can be significantly augmented by human cultural tools.
Language and maps provide distinct pathways for enhancing human spatial cognition.
These uniquely human tools lead to qualitatively different spatial capabilities compared to nonhuman species.