Spatial tools are now ubiquitous in ecological research. In this talk, I present case studies that illustrate some trends emerging as a result of the availability and application of these tools to better understand pattern and process on the landscape. These studies include: 1) using "found" data to answer fundamental ecological questions (that is, data that existed but were not georeferenced and may have been collected by non-scientist observers), 2) synthesizing large datasets with many other individual studies to produce an estimate of the number and spatial variation of migratory birds killed at tall communication towers, and 3) scaling up spatial tools to the hemispherical scale to predict neotropical bird migration routes solely from topography, prevailing winds, and configuration of water bodies.