1. A computer-implemented memory network including at least one processor for producing an identifier associated with spatial patterns and temporal sequences in input data, the input data representing an object or a state of an object received from one or more sensors including at least one or more of a visual sensor, an auditory sensor, a tactile sensor, sensors distributed geographically, sensors distributed in a facility to measure one or more parameters or sensors configured to measure Internet traffic over time, comprising: two or more children processing modules for receiving spatially different parts of the input data, the input data representing the object or the state of the object, each child processing module generating lower level characterization data that represents spatial patterns and temporal sequences in the different parts of the input data; and a parent processing module associated with the two or more children processing modules for receiving the lower level characterization data, the parent processing module generating and outputting higher level characterization data that represents spatial patterns and temporal sequences in the lower level characterization data, the parent processing module providing feedback information to the two or more children processing modules for associating the higher level characterization data with the lower level characterization data in a learning process, the parent processing module outputting the second level characterization data as the identifier in a querying process subsequent to the learning process.