Spatial Thinking Ability Acquisition Through Geospatial Technologies for Lifelong Learning

Abstract

Geospatial Technologies (GST) have opened the doorway to a globalised field of knowledge that geospatial technologies have given shape to. Citizens are demanding open-access geospatial data to understand and, where possible, participate in providing a most accurate interpretation on geo-references, and thus contributing to empowering citizens to shape local policies. Upon leaving compulsory education, citizens still show an interest in geo-referenced information and they are able to associate the acquired knowledge with geospatial data. Today, acquiring geospatial thinking abilities is considered an outstanding goal of education. Formal thinking development encourages a student’s cognitive abilities of different reasoning kinds that need to be fostered in order to succeed in lifelong learning. Cognitive processes associated with spatial thinking demand wide-ranging mental abilities. Basic cognitive skills are to observe, identify, relate and compare. Instruction should engage in complex cognitive abilities that lead to reasoning strategies, including classification, hierarchy and analogy, for problem framing and solving at varying scales and by using diverse geospatial tools. In this chapter, the capacities of spatial thinking and reasoning abilities are thus interrelated through geospatial information technologies. By means of this interaction, citizens may learn how to autonomously manage daily spatial situations, or how to put forward effective and efficient solutions in professional environments.