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Cognitive Map Theory predicts that the hippocampus (HPC) plays a specialized, time-invariant role in supporting allocentric spatial memory, while Standard Consolidation Theory makes the competing prediction that the HPC plays a time-limited role, with more remote memories gaining independence of HPC function. These theories, however, are largely informed by the results of laboratory-based tests that are unlikely to simulate the demands of representing real-world environments in humans. Validation of these theories is further limited by an overall focus on spatial memory of newly encountered environments and on individuals with extensive lesions to the HPC and to surrounding medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions. The current study incorporates naturalistic tests of spatial memory based on recently and remotely encountered environments navigated by individuals with lesions to the HPC/MTL or that are limited to the HPC's major output, the fornix. Four participants with bilateral HPC/MTL and/or fornix lesions drew sketch maps of recently and remotely experienced neighbourhoods and houses. Tests of the appearance, distances, and routes between landmarks from the same real-world environments were also administered. Performance on the tasks was compared to that of control participants closely matched in terms of exposure to the same neighbourhoods and home environments as well as to actual maps. The performance of individuals with fornix/MTL lesions was found to be largely comparable to that of controls on objective tests of spatial memory, other than one case who was impaired on remote and recent conditions for several tasks. The nature of deficits in recent and remote spatial memory were further revealed on house floorplan drawings, which contained spatial distortions, room/structure transpositions, and omissions, and on neighbourhood sketch maps, which were intact in terms of overall layout but sparse in details such as landmarks. Lab-based tests of spatial memory of newly learned environments are unlikely to fully capture patterns of spared and impaired representations of real-world environments (e.g., peripheral features, configurations). Naturalistic tasks, including generative drawing tasks, indicate that contrary to Cognitive Map Theory, neither HPC nor MTL are critical for allocentric gross representations of large-scale environments. Conversely, the HPC appears critical for representing detailed spatial information of local naturalistic environments and environmental objects regardless of the age of the memory, contrary to Standard Consolidation Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species pose global biological and economic challenges. Over the past four decades, Prosopis taxa have emerged as a major invader of the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Prosopis juliflora , one of the highly invasive Prosopis species, is dominantly present in the Afar region of Ethiopia and continues to spread into the surrounding areas. The objective of this study was to aid the mapping, utilization, and management of the invasive P . juliflora in Afar, by employing participatory research techniques. We assessed the introduction history, impacts, uses, and control strategies of invasive P . juliflora by interviewing 108 pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. In addition, we used Participatory Mapping (PM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and remote sensing technologies and approaches to map sites invaded by P . juliflora . Sketch maps were produced by men, women, pastoralist and agro-pastoralist groups. Experts aggregated, scaled and reproduced the sketch maps with support from the Afar communities. We provided GPS and GIS trainings to selected community members who assisted us in collecting the GPS locations of more than 70 key features and landmarks. The sketch maps were digitized and geo-referenced by experts using the 70 GPS records as control points. Geo-referenced community maps were superimposed on pan-sharpened Landsat 8 satellite images and presented to the communities for verification. We overlaid the verified community maps on ancillary land-cover layers, and detected the land-cover classes that were most affected by P . juliflora invasion. Despite its uses as source of fire wood, charcoal, and animal fodder, the species has adverse impacts on native species and livestock resources. Afar communities mapped P . juliflora infestations, particularly those that occurred near their villages, using high and moderate density classes. The two highly invaded land-cover categories were dense grassland, and exposed sand & soils. Participants collaborated in creating the produced maps, suggesting that participatory research approaches are another tool for early detection of invasive species and guiding fine-scale management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between spatial abilities and spatial representations of large-scale environments was examined with children between 7 and 12 years of age. Subjects were 172 2nd, 4th and 6th graders from different neighborhoods in Magdeburg, Germany. They completed paper-and-pencil forms of Piaget''s Water-Level-Task, the Rod-and-Frame Test and the Mental-Rotations-Test. In addition children were asked to draw sketch maps of their neighborhood. Performance measures in the three spatial tests were modestly related to each other. There were close to zero correlations between most measures of cognitive mapping and spatial-test performance. An analysis with structural equation models confirmed a model with the two uncorrelated second-level spatial factors spatial ability and spatial representations of the environment. Results also indicate that each second-order spatial-ability factor consists of three subfactors, each representing one of the spatial tests. In contrast to previous studies, the results clearly support the distinction between (1) large-scale spatial tasks where the observer is part of the environment and cannot see the whole space of interest from one point of view, and (2) small-scale spatial tasks, on the other hand, where the spatial relations of objects can be seen at once. The implications of this distinction for our understanding of spatial cognition are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Semantic technologies can model complex non-static land tenure systems. • The LDM to LADM Adaptor Model useful for implementation of Kenya Community Land Act. • Customary tenure relations are modelled with conditional rules. • Qualitative spatial relations are essential for reasoning about tenure relations. • Land Administration experts consider modelling customary tenures essential. With an estimated 50% of global land held, used, or otherwise managed by communities, interfacing indigenous, customary, and informal land tenure systems with official land administration systems is critical to achieving universal land tenure security at a global scale. The complexity and organic nature of these tenure systems, however, makes their modelling and documentation within standard, generic land administration systems extremely difficult. This paper presents a model that loosely integrates a Local Domain Model (LDM) developed for a Maasai community in Kenya with the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM). The LDM is an ontological schema which captures local knowledge in a systematic, formal way that is directly or indirectly relevant to land administration. The integration with LADM is achieved through an ontological schema called the Adaptor Model. The concept of conditional RRR (Rights, Restrictions, Responsibilities) is introduced within the Adaptor Model to express the dynamics of social tenures. The three domain models LDM, LADM, Adaptor Model are used in the community-based land tenure recording tool SmartSkeMa. Four implementation examples demonstrate how the case-specific LDM extends the range of concepts representable in LADM in order to meet land administration needs from the local community's perspective. A panel of land administration experts found the LDM model and the functionality of the Adaptor Model to be fit-for-purpose for the Kenyan case and to be addressing an important gap in the land administration tools landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory mapping techniques and social surveys are combined with spatial statistics to examine resident senses of place in a gentrifying neighborhood. Whereas recent debates on gentrification describe how physical displacement need not occur for an area's sense of place to change, there are few tools that test this presumption. Attitudes of current residents toward features of a gentrifying neighborhood are captured using polygons drawn in Collector for ArcGIS. The results were aggregated according to the social characteristics of the respondents (length of residency, education, and housing status). After testing for randomness, it was proven that highly educated newcomers have significantly different attitudes toward their neighborhood when compared to long-term residents. This study supports concerns that the emotional geographies of a gentrifying neighborhood can be disrupted without physical displacement of long-term residents and provides a novel combination of methods for evaluating between-group differences in a sense of place. • Combination of spatial and qualitative research about gentrification was applied. • Spatial statistics based on respondents profiled proved various sense of place in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA. • Gentrification has an effect on spatial perception of the place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]