Representing and Solving Spatial Problems (Dagstuhl Seminar 21492)

Everyday life takes place in space and time, and spatial experience lies at the heart of our existence. Understanding how we conceive spatial relations, and how we solve spatio-temporal problems, is therefore key to understanding human cognition. Spatial cognition research has advanced considerably over the past decades, with major successes particularly in computational implementations of knowledge representation and reasoning methods. Still, a range of key issues continue to pose major challenges. The goal of this report is to discuss the various options for the formalisation, implementation and automated solution of spatial problems including the following issues: the identification and specification of relevant concepts as expressed in human language; modules for automated understanding of domain descriptions; the use of spatial structures and affordances for direct spatial problem solving; and, the development of efficient planning systems capable of providing feasible solutions to spatial problems. This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 21492 "Representing and Solving Spatial Problems".