What Is Spatial Perspective?

Spatial perspective refers to the geographical concept of where things happen on Earth in space and in different places, according to National Geographic. The spatial perspective focuses on the location of humans as it relates to interaction. This aspect of geography studies physical locations to determine how people live on the surface of the Earth.

Spatial perspective is solely a geographic term and is used in several contemporary industries, such as real estate, vacation planning, civil engineering and more. Businesses need to know where to locate a new plant, construction companies must know where to build new houses, and vacationers plan where to visit, according to Harper College. City leaders need to know where to put infrastructure improvements and where to expand services.

Maps are the primary tools used by geographers to view spatial relationships. Maps can be political, physical, ecological and more. Maps present data and information in visual ways to aid in conceptualizing spatial ideas, that way geographers who utilize the spatial perspective can study human patterns of behavior on a large scale.

In short, the spatial perspective is the study of where things happen. National Geographic states when scientists and sociologists understand where things happen, that leads to inquiries as to why things happen with regards to human existence.