Spatial thinking in geographic information science: a review of past studies and prospects for the future

AbstractIn recent years, the relationship between geographic information science (GIScience) and spatial thinking has attracted much attention in English-speaking countries. Nevertheless, vagueness remains concerning the concept of spatial thinking and its components. The aim of this paper is to review previous studies on the relationship between GIScience and spatial thinking, and to clarify the elements of spatial thinking and related terms. After discussing the basic elements of spatial thinking, it explores the relationship between GIScience and spatial thinking by dividing it into two aspects: the role of geographic information systems (GIS) in education on spatial thinking, and the role of spatial thinking in GIScience. Concerning the former, potential roles of GIS in spatial thinking education, particularly in geography and STEM disciplines, are suggested. Concerning the latter, the relationships between the body of knowledge on GIS education and the elements of spatial thinking are examined. Finally, the present situation and future prospects for studies on spatial thinking and GIScience in Japan are briefly discussed

Measurement of geospatial thinking abilities and the factors affecting them

Since the publication of the National Research Council\u27s report entitled "Learning to Think Spatially" in 2006, spatial thinking has been attracting attention in the fields of geographic information science and geography education. Recently, several tests for measuring spatial thinking abilities in geographical contexts have been developed. Nevertheless, the reliability of these tests and the relationship between the test questions and the components of geospatial thinking are not clear. In addition, few attempts have been made to investigate the effect of various factors, including behaviors and interests in daily life, on test scores. This study aims to improve the geospatial thinking ability test and examine the various factors affecting test scores. The test used in this study is a revision of the Spatial Thinking Ability Test developed by Lee and Bednarz (2012). Six question items were selected by considering the independence and representativeness of the components of the geospatial abilities; anonymous materials were used to distinguish between the respondents\u27 geospatial skills and their prior knowledge. The results obtained from a sample of 90 university students showed a low correlation between the scores for the six question items. The scores for three question items (spatial patterns, spatial correlation, and landscape visualization) were closely related to the students\u27 interest in geography and maps, as well as their sense of direction. In particular, their experience and expertise in geography at school was evident in the specific components of geospatial thinking abilities

ROLE OF GEOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE AND SPATIAL ABILITIES IN MAP READING PROCESS: IMPLICATIONS FOR GEOSPATIAL THINKING

The purpose of this study is to examine the cognitive processes used to solvegeographical questions that require map reading tasks in order to explore implications forgeospatial thinking. In particular, this study deals with various types of maps, ranging fromlarge-scale topographic maps to small-scale thematic maps, to examine the relationship betweenthe map reading process and the spatial abilities, along with the experience of geographyeducation. The results obtained in this study indicate that the process of answering questions onlarge-scale topographic maps is entirely affected by the spatial abilities of the respondents,whereas that of answering questions on small-scale thematic maps is closely related to generalgeographic knowledge and high school geography education. This can be due to the differencein the abilities required to answer the questions. The general scientific knowledge and the spatialability of visualization, rather than the geographic knowledge of specific places, are important toanswer the questions on large-scale topographic maps. In contrast, geographic knowledge ofplace names and their locations is indispensable to answer the questions on small-scale thematicmaps

Changes in childcare services accompanying municipal mergers : A case study of Kahoku City in Ishikawa Prefecture

This study examines changes in childcare services accompanying municipal mergers through a case study conducted in Kahoku City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The findings reveal that, in Kahoku City, childcare services improved overall after the merger because factors such as hours of care, fees, after-hours care, and temporary care were adjusted to match the town with the highest standards of the three towns involved in the merger. Behind this improvement was the basic policy adopted by the Council for Merger, which sought to transfer childcare services to the new city without compromising the standard of these services. In Kahoku City, there have been no significant disruptions or problems with childcare services due to the merger; this can be attributed to the fact that merger negotiations proceeded relatively smoothly, and precautions were taken when adjusting aspects of childcare such as care-center management

Controlling Energy Gaps of pi-Conjugated Polymers by Multi-Fluorinated Boron-Fused Azobenzene Acceptors for Highly Efficient Near-Infrared Emission

We demonstrate that multi-fluorinated boron-fused azobenzene (BAz) complexes can work as a strong electron acceptor in electron donor-acceptor (D-A) type π-conjugated polymers. Position-dependent substitution effects were revealed, and the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was critically decreased by fluorination. As a result, the obtained polymers showed near-infrared (NIR) emission (λPL=758–847 nm) with high absolute photoluminescence quantum yield (ΦPL=7–23%) originating from low-lying LUMO energy levels of the BAz moieties (−3.94 to −4.25 eV). Owing to inherent solid-state emissive properties of the BAz units, deeper NIR emission (λPL=852980 nm) was detected in film state. Clear solvent effects prove that the NIR emission is from a charge transfer state originating from a strong D-A interaction. The effects of fluorination on the frontier orbitals are well understandable and predictable by theoretical calculation with density functional theory. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of fluorination to the BAz units for producing a strong electron-accepting unit through fine-tuning of energy gaps, which can be the promising strategy for designing NIR absorptive and emissive materials

Duodenal mucosal hemodynamics in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Clinical studies show that patients with liver cirrhosis associated with portal hypertension have a high incidence of duodenal ulcer and duodenitis. However, little information is available concerning pathophysiological process of such duodenal diseases in liver cirrhosis. Hemodynamics of the duodenal mucosa was studied in cirrhotics with esophageal varices (68 cases) and in noncirrhotics with non-ulcer dyspepsia (37 cases) as well. In each group, hemoglobin concentration in the peripheral venous blood was measured, and mucosal hemodynamics was examined in 4 regions of the duodenum by endoscopic reflectance spectrophotometer. No significant intergroup difference was noted in the mean age or sex ratio. Hemoglobin concentration in the peripheral venous blood was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) in the cirrhotics. There were no significant intergroup differences in duodenal mucosal blood volume. However, the cirrhotics showed significantly lower oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in all regions of the duodenum (p less than 0.01). These results show that the cirrhotics with esophageal varices had relative increase in blood volume and decrease in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the duodenal mucosa. Such microcirculatory disturbances seem to predispose liver cirrhosis patients to duodenal injury.</p