Spatial Concept Perspectives

We have gathered ~300 excerpts from published works about fundamental spatial concept terms. These have been cross-referenced with the concept lexicon appearing on the left. Those terms were drawn from the U.S.National Science Education Standards (NSES 1996) for topic areas B - Physical Science, C - Life Science, D - Earth and Space Science, as well as from the 1994 U.S. Geography Teaching Standards for grades 9-12. Those standards can be browsed here.

spatial concept terms

disciplinary perspectives on "surface"

continuity

...it is obvious in the case of lines and surfaces there is right from the start a relationship of continuity. But it is a question of knowing in precisely what sense the whole of the perceptual field constitutes a continuous spatial field (p 8). ...we may say that the perception of continuities is modified in terms of the increasing fineness of the thresholds of sensitivity, and consequently of the relationships of proximity and separation (p 8)

Psychology

Piaget and Inhelder (1967)

The Child's Conception of Space

interpolation

Reconstruction of the underlying continuous field of data from the limited evidence of the control points, called interpolation, is an example of the classic missing data problem in statistics. Whatever type of surface is involved and whatever control points are used, the objective is to produce a field of values to some satisfactory level of accuracy relative to the intended subsequent use of the data (p. 215). Spatial interpolation is the prediction of exact values of attributes at unsampled locations from measurements made at control points within the same area (p. 220).

Geography

O'Sullivan and Unwin (2002)

Geographic Information Analysis

interpolation

Topic AM6-2. Identify the spatial concepts that are assumed in different interpolation algorithms; Describe how surfaces can be interpolated using splines; Compare and contrast interpolation by inverse distance weighting, bi-cubic spline fitting, and kriging; Differentiate between trend surface analysis and deterministic spatial interpolation; Explain why different interpolation algorithms produce different results and suggest ways by which these can contour-type lines from point datasets using proximity polygons, spatial averages, or inverse distance weighting; Implement a trend surface analysis using either the supplied function in a GIS or a regression function from any standard statistical package.

Geography
Education

DiBiase, et al. (2006)

Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge

interpolation

Determine value of two or more location/place-based distributions (p. 92)

Geography

Golledge, et al. (2008)

Matching geospatial concepts with geographic educational needs

map projection

Represent curved surface on a flat sheet of paper (p. 92)

Geography

Golledge, et al. (2008)

Matching geospatial concepts with geographic educational needs

surface

If we...move to three dimensions, [and add the characteristics of location and magnitude] we can derive the concept of a surface (p. 38). See gradient

Geography

Golledge (1995)

Primitives of Spatial Knowledge

surface

The extended two-dimensional external boundary of entities. A closed surface may confine the contents of containers (q.v.), objects, particles, systems, devices or organisms, controlling the passage ('transport') of matter and energy. Static or dynamic surface characteristics (texture, reflectance, patterns, indentations or protuberances, wrinkles, ripples, spines or needles, etc.) determine the visual perception of objects, and reflect the processes that form and maintain the boundary or surface conditions.

Science Education

Mathewson, J. H. (2005)

The visual core of science: definition and applications to education

surface

...the study of rotation and the development of surfaces throws considerable light on the development of geometrical ideas (p 273). ...can [children] rotate the sides of a solid onto the frontal plane, and unfold, or 'develop' the regular curved surfaces, such as the cylinder or the cone (p 273).

Psychology

Piaget and Inhelder (1967)

The Child's Conception of Space