cognitive mapping

cognitive map


for movement in space – thinking of movement from one point to another- you need special information, you got from exploration and experience. this information is saved in so called cognitive maps or imaginations… cognitive maps are mental pictures of the environment, structuring perception, reaction and movement through the environment.




the process of cognitive mapping is characterized by encoding and decoding of mental representation.




it is a:
interactive process: there is a continuous interaction with the environment, so there is a continuous development of the information of space


selective process: you choose from a plurality of information only the individual interesting and essential.


structuring process: the absorbed information has to be simplified, structured and reduced to get the signification of them.






4 steps to build spatial information:


1. landmark knowledge: mark significant points
2. route knowledge: the route between the landmarks
3. build cluster: reference of the landmarks
4. survey knowledge: you get a complex picture, relative objects, connections and distances




tool to analyse
1. micro-macro readings
2. layering and separation
3. colour and information
4. narratives of space and time