In daily life, both animals and humans are often faced with the task of returning to previously visited locations. In many cases, an organism must be able to (1) establish a directional frame of reference and (2) determine location based on surrounding cues in order to solve this problem. Moreover, successful navigation is generally thought to rely on how an organism learns and uses the metric relationships between various locations in its environment. This thesis examines various factors that affect the way animals encode and use metric information in their environment, both to orient and to navigate. A transformation approach is used to determine what aspects of metric information are learned and/or preferred. Additionally, this thesis follows a comparative approach in order to examine similarities and differences among species. In chapter 2, I show that two closely related species of chickadees differently use geometric and featural information when establishing a directional frame of reference. I suggest that ecological factors, but not rearing condition, affect the way that chickadees preferentially use metric or featural information to orient. In chapter 3, I used a similar paradigm to show that a pre-existing directional frame of reference can interact with rats’ use of metric cues to navigate. More specifically, chapter 3 shows that experience gained through training procedures affects the way that rats use metric information in a navigation task. Chapter 4 expands upon this idea, and shows that pigeons encode directional metric differently based on their past experience. Finally, in chapter 5, I examined the flexibility of use of metrics by comparing how search strategies of human adults and children can change based on a goal’s proximity to an edge. To summarize, this thesis shows that use of metric information is malleable and situation-specific and can be affected by a variety of factors including ecology, past experience and boundary information.

Understanding mathematics and teaching mathematics involve numerous factors, one of which may be an individual's spatial ability. This paper examines research conducted on the relationship between spatial abilities and mathematics, gender differences in the area of spatial ability, the types of experiences that may affect one's spatial ability, and issues surrounding the teaching of spatial skills. Researchers have found that spatial ability does relate to mathematics and males tend to have greater spatial ability than females. Instruction has also been shown to be successful in helping individuals learn spatial skills. This paper also reports the results of a study that examined the differences in spatial ability among 98 participants (males, females, faculty, and students in the sciences and non-sciences) at a Pacific Northwest university. Although not all the results were statistically significant, they tend to agree with earlier studies that found gender advantages in spatial abilities favoring males over females. They also provide evidence of the existence of greater spatial abilities among participants who are engaged in scientific rather than non-scientific pursuits. The participants in this study also reported experiences that they believed influenced their success or failure in tasks requiring spatial ability. Such experiences were success in math and art classes, computer modeling, drafting, puzzles/games, Legos, construction, woodworking, and playing with blocks as a child. Participants also stated their belief that spatial ability related to success or lack of success in mathematics. Over half of the students felt that spatial ability would help in a math class. This study reveals that spatial ability does differ in individuals; that there exist experiences that individuals feel are important for developing spatial ability; and that spatial ability relates to mathematics. This information can be beneficial for both teachers and researchers. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Jacob L. Bowman, Dept. of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology. Includes bibliographical references.

This study examines the relationship between the developing landscape and the water flowing through it. The study area was an 86 sq. mi. watershed located in the coastal plains in Harris County, Texas. Daily streamflow data for 52 years was obtained from USGS and coincident precipitation data was obtained from NOAA. Georeferenced parcel-level data was obtained from the Harris County Appraisal District with sufficient detail to determine year of development, parcel area, and impervious cover. Watershed boundaries were obtained from the Harris County Flood Control District. After controlling for daily precipitation, streamflow exhibited significant increases at all levels over time. Increasing streamflow was not associated with climate change. FRAGSTATS was used to quantify spatial patterns in the developed landscape on an annual basis. Regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between spatial and non-spatial measures of development and streamflow. It was found that models based on the spatial configuration of the developed landscape predict streamflow better than non-spatial measures such as total impervious cover. Several metrics were identified for their potential use as guidelines for urban planning.

Owing to the advances of computer and communication technologies, clustering analysis on moving objects has attracted increasing attention in recent years. An interesting problem is to find the moving clusters composed of objects which move along for a sufficiently long period of time. However, a moving cluster inclines to break after some time because of the goal change in each individual object. In order to identify the set of moving clusters, we propose the formal definition of moving clusters with semantically clear parameters. Based on the definition, we propose delicate approaches to cluster moving objects. The proposed approaches are evaluated using data generated with and without underlying model. We validate our approaches with a through experimental evaluation and comparison.

Maps are essential tools for providing tourism information. Hence, it is imperative for tourism marketers to understand how tourists perceive spatial information and sense physical places virtually presented in digital maps. Based on sense of place, spatial cognition, and virtual reality literature, this study constructed a conceptual framework to measure how different interactivity levels of a digital map interface affect potential tourists' experience when exploring maps. In addition, the study explored how individual characteristics such as place attachment and spatial ability affect virtual-spatial experiences. An experiment was conducted to test the developed Virtual Spatial Experience model. Google Earth maps were manipulated using two experimental conditions: low level (satellite view map only) vs. high level (three dimensional (3D) dynamic objects). The questionnaire included self-report items regarding perceived map interactivity, spatial ability, affective place attachment, spatial orientation, spatial imagery, and spatial presence. Responses from 211 students were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study results showed that map interfaces influence human perceptions of map interactivity. Perceived map interactivity positively affected virtual spatial experiences: spatial orientation, spatial imagery and spatial presence. Spatial ability positively influenced spatial orientation which in turn led to greater spatial imagery and ultimately greater spatial presence. The results further demonstrated that affective place attachment positively influenced spatial presence. The findings provided evidence that sense of place in the real world, such as affective place attachment to the experimental setting (Walt Disney World, Florida), influences spatial experiences of an environment virtually presented in the map. Therefore, by applying place attachment to virtual environment studies, this study expanded the scope of theories used in exploring human spatial experience. Moreover, evaluating the influence of map interactivity, this study provided practical implications for designing destination maps. By applying 3D dynamic objects as a design feature in an interactive map, tourism marketers can produce enhanced virtual spatial experiences. As this study used Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park presented on Google Earth as the experimental setting, the collected data also informs the understanding of virtual experiences and perceptions of the park.

Syftet med den här undersökningen är att se om elevernas förmåga att visualisera en fysikuppgift kan hjälpa dem till en högre förståelse. Då benämningen visualisera används åsyftas att eleverna utifrån en textuppgift skapar sig en bild i huvudet, som de sedan ritar på ett papper. Det är även viktigt som fysikpedagog, att se om en uppmaning kan hjälpa eleverna till ökad förståelse och i så fall på vilket sätt de visualiserar uppgiften. Didaktiska representationer av fysikproblem kan bidra en bättre förståelse av ämnet fysik hos framtida elever. För att söka svar på frågeställningarna ansågs det viktigt att samla in ett brett utbud av data. Beslutet togs av den orsaken att göra en kvantitativ undersökning, varav en frågeställning är hypotetiskt deduktiv, då en passande hypotes till denna frågeställning fanns. För att kunna besvara frågeställningen genomfördes ett undervisningsförsök med två olika typer av uppgifter i årskurs två på gymnasiet och två olika typer av uppgifter i årskurs tre på gymnasiet. Då undersökningen utfördes upptäcktes att det förmodligen påverkar eleverna positivt att de har förmågan att kunna visualisera en fysikuppgift. Däremot var det ingen större skillnad på om eleverna fick visualisera spontant eller om det kom som en uppmaning från fysikpedagogen. Det kunde dock ses som en liten fördel då elevernas uppgifter var utökade med deluppgifter som endast handlade om att de skulle rita en figur till uppgiften. Utöver detta framkom att många gymnasieelever använder sig av visualiseringar som till stor del liknar de bilder som pedagoger ofta ritar under exempelvis lektionsgenomgångar. Dock fanns det några elever som skilde sig från mängden och gjorde figurer som var strukturerade på ett sätt som skulle kunna användas oftare i undervisningssituationer.

Die Modelle der räumlichen Preistheorie sind über einen langen Zeitraum entwickelt worden und mit bekannten Namen wie Wilhelm Launhardt und August Lösch verbunden. Diese Ansätze versuchen der räumlichen Dimension des Preisbildungsprozesses auf Märkten in partialanalytischen Modellen Rechnung zu tragen. Im Buch werden Monopole, monopolistische Konkurrenz und internationaler Handel diskutiert. Dabei hat der Leser die Möglichkeit, sich über die Standardmodell hinaus mit komplexeren Strukturen vertraut zu machen. / For a long period the models of spatial pricing were developed and connected with the famous names of Wilhelm Launhardt und August Lösch. These approaches take the spatial dimension of pricing into account in partial analytical models. This publication discusses monopoly, monopolistic competition, and international trade. The reader will get a greater insight into the basic models and more complex structures.

The objective of this study is to develop a multiple linear regression model that measures the relationship between the church services supply and the attendance to the services in the Uppsala diocese, Church of Sweden. By reviewing previous models and examining the nature of data available, two research questions were introduced, namely, the problem of omitted variables and the problem of spatial autocorrelation. For the first question, two methods were compared, namely, the Y-lag method and the first-differenced equation. Statistical tests then showed that the latter was more preferable for this study. For the second question, geographically weighted regression was used to examine the spatial variations in relationships estimated by above modeling strategies. However, no significant spatial variation was found for them. In conclusion, by using the ordinary least square estimation for the first-differenced equation the most suitable regression model was obtained. The data showed no need to consider the issue of spatial non-stationarity.

West Nile Virus (WNV) first appeared in Texas equids during June 2002. It has since spread rapidly across the state and apparently become endemic. Data from outbreaks occurring between 2002 and 2004 were analyzed to determine hotspots of equine WNV disease, identify environmental factors associated with outbreaks, and to create risk maps of locations with horses at a higher risk of the disease. Kriging was used to model the smoothed WNV attack rates, and interpolated rates were mapped to describe the spatial distribution of WNV disease risk in Texas. A retrospective time-space analysis using a Poisson model was conducted on each year’s data to identify clusters with high attack rates. The resulting overlapping yearly clusters were considered areas of hyperendemicity (hotspots). The counties identified as hotspots included Hockley, Lubbock, and Lynn (primary cluster) and Leon and Roberstson (secondary cluster). Environmental and geographic features were added to the disease maps and analyzed to determine possible environmental factors associated with outbreaks. Locations in close proximity to lakes, bird breeding routes, migratory flyway zones, crop farm and agricultural land, and all dense vegetation were found to be important environmental predictors. Finally, risk maps were created that combined surveillance data on WNV positive mosquito collections and wild bird WNV cases with previously identified environmental risk factors to predict areas of high occurrence of WNV. These risk maps could be used to implement various preventative measures to reduce the transmission of WNV in the Texas equine industry.