Spatiotemporal pattern

-Even though written language appears to exist only as a (2D) spatial concatenation of letters - strings, it must be decoded sequentially over time.

signals and will - in successful communication - evoke similar patterns of neural activity in the recipient as they existed in the sender.

For example, the warning call of a bird when it perceives a predator will produce a similar type and degree of alarmedness (eventually a certain kind of neural activity pattern) in other individuals even though they have not yet seen or heard the potential attacker.

Criminals show spatiotemporal patterns when planning and executing their activities that may be used to predict their future behaviour.

For example, law enforcement can use spatiotemporal patterns to identify crime hot spots and to determine the most effective strategies for responding to these areas.

In addition, law enforcement and crime prevention professionals can use spatiotemporal patterns to identify and monitor potential suspects or areas of criminal activity.