Geospatially challenged, strong or average?

[Eden]

Mr Silver, I'll fedex you some of those break crumbs.

That's the stuff thats all over my rims after a wet, gritty ride right?

[Andrea]

I'm very geospatially challenged! I actually got briefly lost on my local greenway one day

[Zen]

That's the stuff thats all over my rims after a wet, gritty ride right?

around here we use the mountains as a compass.
If you're actually in the mountains, well...

[froglegs]

I'm an engineer so I would like to think I'm geospatially strong.......but I'm probably kidding myself...... so yeah, let's go with average.

[shootingstar]

I'm an engineer so I would like to think I'm geospatially strong.......but I'm probably kidding myself...... so yeah, let's go with average.

Well, my partner did his civil engineering degree and of course he's done surveying work somewhere in his early years....he used to have a 100 acre farm which included heavily wooded area. He's gotten lost several times at night on his own property..but found his way out. But he' s probably not bad because he so heavily involved in cycling advocacy that he's often exploring new routes for bikes. He has also cycled solo across North America 3 times and doesn't seem to get overly lost. Part of his trips is collecting info. and taking photos of local cycling facilities and routes in unknown areas to him, so his wayfinding is more natural and quicker.

I wonder if I had continuing driving a car, if my geospatial capabilities would have been marginally better. I gave up my license over 1/4 century ago...I really didn't enjoy driving on highways...and overall was afraid when driving.

During the first few months of living in Vancouver I didn't find the mountains here helpful at all especially in older areas with non-grid streets. To the nubie, to even distinguish which mountain, can be abit confusing at first...since there is a whole wall of them northward...and others east...I go southeast away from the famed mountains in North Vancouver....and 40 kms. later when I go to work, there are more mountains elsewhere....I need a map to even tell you what these mountains are... Of course Greater Vancouver area has many big and small bridges.., different water bodies,....which makes route design for cycling a challenge in swiggly ways...



On the other hand, I have highly visual memory for other complex things..I know that I am a visual learner..

[MomOnBike]

As the old mountain man said, "I've never been lost. But I have been turned around for days at a time."

Terms defined:
Lost --> not being able to find your way home.
Turned around --> no idea where you are exactly, but with a vague idea which way home lies.

Yep, that's me.

I have a pretty good internal compass, and that helps. Also extensive early training. My Dad stressed knowing where you are and how to get home. He'd take me up into the mountains on horseback, then let me lead us home. We took the occasional odd route, but it was good training. There are tricks to it

I think I depend on the sun, as grey skies confuse me. I'd probably be hopeless in Australia, but I'm pretty reliable in North America.

[fastdogs]

I am challenged in the city, but used to say I had a very good internal compass in the woods, mountains or plains. I spent lots of time in the woods finding my way around as a kid, and as a teenager went trail riding every night- lots of nighttime trail rides to obscure caves with only a cowpath to follow through heavy woods, or just a vague feeling of direction when there was no path.
Then, fairly recently, I got lost in the woods in a snowstorm (not even a blizzard or anything, just a steady snow). So I can't say I never get lost in the woods any more, and the internal compass apparently doesn't always work properly. So I never say never any more.
vickie

[OakLeaf]

Some of the responses imply that wayfinding ability is related (or identical?) to spatial perception. Is that true?

Because I'm really good at, say, if a new shock absorber has to go just so to get into place, I'm really good at saying "here's the space it has to go in via, and here's the angle it has to go in at."

Maybe I just tend to panic way too quickly when I feel that I'm lost, due to a bad experience when I was a toddler (and shouldn't have been left to find my way alone, but that's another story). Maybe if I didn't just assume I was going to get lost - and could settle down emotionally enough to figure things out - I'd be better? Wahine, what do your studies say?