2.b

Question 1

what are examples of formal data?

Answer 1

census data
rainfall totals
road network
crime figures
distribution of soil types
locations of victims of ebola

Question 2

what is formal data?

Answer 2

closely linked w/ statistics which describe data associated w/ particular places

Question 3

what are examples of informal data?

Answer 3

literature
graffiti
film
TV soaps
Music
photography

Question 4

what is informal data?

Answer 4

plays a major role in representing places, offering sounds as well as sights.

it can show the geographical context and zoom in to the detail of the place.

many films rely on their representation of place to tell their story to the viewer

Question 5

what is the difference between formal and informal?

Answer 5

census is the most well known formal representation
it has been collected every 10 yrs since 1801
it collects info from each household, eg. age, gender, occupation etc…..
when put together these give avg. statistics that represent social and economic characteristics

Question 6

how is New York informally represented?

Answer 6

gossip girl, friends etc
> socio-economic profile linked to a lack of diversity.
> no poverty
music/rap may show the more deprived side
photography online shows it as an economic hotspot. however usually only shows Manhattan whereas there are clearly lots of other differing areas.

Question 7

how is New York formally represented?

Answer 7

crime rates have decreased but are still quite high
inequalities in diff areas
> e.g. 30% of people in Bronx below the poverty line
ethnically diverse/multiculturalism
> 25% Black/African American in NYC, only 44% white (80% US avg)
> in some areas, white % is a minority
60% Manhatten (most affluent area, v. few unemployed) - management, business, science, arts
crime on the decrease. 1990 levels very high. crime linked to socio-economic
> not breaking down NYC by area, will vary spatially
overall, only 5% unemployment, e.g. it IS a bustling economic area

Question 8

how reliable is informal data?

Answer 8

subjective
who is creating the representation? e.g. music - artists might come from different background so have different views
portrays a place as glamourised when in reality there will be huge inequalities. extremes in portrayal - gossip girl vs poverty of Bronx
changed over time - Friends seems very out of date compared to B99 for example.
> looking at a snapshot of time. What’s the purpose of the representation?
for lots of informal representation it depends on the individual and their identity
advertising from the place itself. business/tourism attraction. not going to portray the negative