Overview

Approaching the topic of spatio-temporal relationships and how to represent them digitally can be problematic for both beginners and experts. In general, it involves perceiving spatial patterns and interactions in order to arrive at an understanding and description of the underlying processes. This scientifically based, abstract, cognitive, spatially focused experience of the world provides the basis for understanding environmental change, assessing consequences and deriving responses or solutions.

Concepts of spatial representation

Geographic or spatial representations are the basis for a scientific interpretation of spatio-temporal aspects of the real world. Science customarily considers these to be valid rules (axioms).

For example, Waldo Tobler is famous for formulating what has come to be known as the first law of geography: “Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things” Tobler 1970. Benno Werlen, on the other hand, takes an action-centered approach. He points out that real neighborhood relationships of objects or feature expressions permit spatial constructs, and that spaces can also be defined by e.g. people who do not necessarily act in spatial proximity. In other words, spaces can be socially constructed (see, for example, Werlen 1993(German only)).

But even in the quantitatively scientific representation of the world, Tobler’s concept of neighborhood is only valid in certain contexts. For example, the concentration of nitrogen in the atmosphere is comparatively homogeneous and continuous. However, geologically continuous units on continental plates or drastic changes from one meter to the next, such as a ditch or wall, implies a setting that virtually counteract the neighborly relationships.

So our task is to find a way to define and integrate these conflicting spatial representations in a traceable and reproducible way.

Limitation of world representations

Despite these limitations, representations of space are permanently and urgently needed in order to document, analyze and communicate comprehensible spatial information. In our field of geography, we need a combination of methods that make spatio-temporal relationships comprehensible, reproducible and appropriate.

This session

This unit serves to help you find your footing in this course by tackling the notion that big questions are spatial. First, it briefly introduces the idea of the complex (inter)actions between humans and nature through the IPBES framework “nature’s contributions to people” (NCP). The second section outlines spatial concepts and how they are represented digitally. Finally, the last part derives some methods for describing spatial context of heterogeneous spaces.

Learning objectives

At the end of this unit you should be able to

• outline the major interaction of nature and people according to the NCP framework
• recognize spatial relationships and classify important abstract concepts
• understand when spatial proximity explains processes and interactions robustly, i.e. relationships