However, it follows from the multiple landmark theory that insects store snapshots, or at least a preprocessed version of them in memory, in an ordered sequence. Judd et al. present a profound theory, which is based not only on biological observations, but also on computer models. By theoretically reconstructing how the image of a cone at different distances moves over the retina, they can predict the position where the wood ant will take a new snapshot. Going even further, they let some simulated creatures evolve on a computer with different control structures. The main advantage of such an approach is that one can include some basic assumptions about a behaviour in the model, but without constructing it by hand.
Navigational behaviours can evolve without too many preconceptions.
An important point which is emphasised throughout the book is that real cognitive maps, be they in animals or humans, cannot be perfect, nor exact. The reason behind this is that if they were, they would be too large and unmanageable. Navigation and orientation is most efficient when restricting the cognitive maps to the necessary, and retrieving the missing information online from the environment. The maps are not a tool for conscious planning, rather they are a coarse template which helps in making short-term predictions about where we are going to be next, and which places are accessible from the current position. Wayfinding in cities is much simpler than finding one's way through natural environments.