Potentials of the Three Spaces Theory for Understandings of Cartography, Virtual Realities, and Augmented Spaces

Abstract

For about three decades, cartography has been (critically) studied from a theoretical perspective. This perspective has contributed to the recognition of the social preconditions and effects of cartographic representations, but little to their further development. From the theory of three worlds, a theory of three spaces or its special case of landscapes is derived, whose modes of construction are presented as well as the derivations from the different modes. The categories of material, virtual and their combination of augmented spaces as well as the media (such as painting, texts or models) of the construction of space/landscape are added. The formulas derived from this illustrate the different aspects and relations of the constructions of space on the different levels and against the background of the different categories. Thus developed, the theory of three spaces or landscapes provides a framework for neopragmatic exploration, here, of maps, virtual and augmented spaces.