Sensegeographic

Sensegeographic is a term used to describe the integrated process by which people perceive and interpret geographic space. It encompasses cognitive, sensory, and informational dimensions of space, including how individuals form mental representations of places, navigate environments, and relate to landscapes through both physical experience and digital data such as maps and location-based services.

Etymology and scope: Coined by scholars in spatial cognition and geoinformation studies, sensegeographic combines sense with geographic to emphasize the embodied and contextual nature of geographic knowledge. It is distinct from traditional geography or GIS by foregrounding subjective perception, cultural meaning, and situational awareness in spatial understanding.

Applications and methods: Researchers use sensegeographic concepts to study wayfinding, place attachment, and environmental perception, employing methods ranging from field experiments and ethnography to neuroimaging and GIS data fusion. In practice, researchers may model how a person perceives a city by integrating sensory cues (sight, sound, smell), personal experience, and digital maps.

Impact and challenges: The sensegeographic perspective supports more user-centered design in urban planning, navigation tools, and education. Challenges include managing subjectivity, cultural differences in place meaning, and the integration of qualitative perception with quantitative geospatial data.

See also: spatial cognition, cognitive map, place attachment, geoinformation science.