engleski

Spatial Intelligence and Toponyms

In the past toponyms were the main tool to make spatial relations and spatial reasoning. They are reflecting spatial relations in historical, cultural and other contexts. Toponyms as base of knowledge about spatial relations contain a lot of information. After theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983, spatial intelligence is one of the more recognized intelligences (bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and spatial). The most common description of spatial intelligence is the ability to be able to recreate one's visual experience and reasoning about shape, measurement and orientation. In the conceptualization of the spatial relations using toponyms spatial intelligence is not based only on the visual experience. Spatial reasoning using toponyms is the ability to reason about spatial relations using toponyms as objects that are containing spatial information. It is the ability to extract position and orientation from toponym in everyday life. Toponyms are often not taken as the complete object that is built of information about geographical feature, noun and position in the space. Without any of the element toponym is not completely defined. For example, spatial reasoning using not completely defined toponym can lead to cardinal mistakes ; noun Berlin can be connected to capital of Germany, but also settlement in Finland and region in France. Spatial intelligence is mostly connected to visual sense and visualization of space features. Because of that is sometimes term visual thinking used. But, blind persons also have spatial intelligence and spatial intelligence is not exclusively tied to the visual sense. Toponyms can be given in narrative way and not only in the written form. They are also not primarily connected to visual effects. Standardization of toponyms and development of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) or spatial Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) systems is using toponyms in semantic approach that is leading to conceptual models. Ontology, as new trend is still not fully standardized. ISO is writing more standards on ontology to giving more possibilities in connecting different bases of knowledge and that is important for toponyms whose elements are defined in different disciplines. Definitions of toponyms made by United Nations Group of Experts on Toponyms (UNGEGN) and EU INSPIRE have small differences that are defining different base of knowledge and can lead to different developments and practical solutions. That can lead to different spatial reasoning using toponyms. This work is indicating basic relations between toponyms and the spatial intelligence and spatial reasoning.

spatial intelligence ; spatial reasoning ; toponyms ; geographical names

nije evidentirano