Field studies: Rivers + Urban Flashcards
What is secondary data?
Data we didnt collect, we found or were given it
Describe one advantage of a systematic sampling we used in our investigation urban area
it is unbais because it follows a fixed route and shows us how the land changes
Describe 2 data presentation technique for rivers
Bar graph to show sediment size
Line graph to show change in velocity
Sketch to show cross proflie of river
What model were we following along the river?
Bradshaw model
limitations of secondary data
We dont know when it was collected - could have been a different climate or time of year
Could be unreliable - we dont know how accurate the researcher was with collecting their data
What did we measure along a river?
Width
Depth
Velocity - hydroprop
Sediment size
Sketches - Differences between source and mouth
What were some mistakes/inaccuracy with the primary data? rivers
Human error, reaction time isnt accurate
Dept of river was too dangerous, had to assume the measurement
Width of river was held with lack of tension showing inaccurate value of width
Ways to improve primary data accuracy. (tension and subjective on pebbles)
Repeat more times to get mean, remove anomaly
Ensure tape measure is pulled straight with tension when measuring channel
Use a calliper to measure the size of pebbles to avoid
errors
Why is random sampling good for reliability?
Gets rid of subjectiveness
What is the difference between a closed and open question?
Closed has a definitive answer, this or that
Open is a broader question with more to talk about
How did you collect data in urban environments? 3
Questionaire
EQA
Index of decay
How does EQA work?
It’s a subjective scoring system used to judge the quality of the environment at a specific location. You’re usually given a set of categories (e.g. cleanliness, noise, traffic, greenery), and you give each a score 1 - 5
Data presentation techniques used in urban field work?
Bar graph
Pie chart
Photos
Transect circles
Positives and negatives of transect of circles?
Positives - see changes as we move away from CBD - linked to enquiry
Negatives - hard to differentiate if circles are similar, didnt show values
Positives and negatives of photos?
Negatives - subjective , we chose what to take a photo of
Positives - quick and easy, clear
Positives and negatives of bar charts?
Positives - easy to identify patterns, good for comparisons
Negatives - limited number of data available to be plotted. can be clustered
Examples of secondary data we used?
Poverty levels across cardiff
Geology
Positives of secondary data?
More time for analysis
Cheaper than doing it yourself
Access to large amount of data
Negatives of secondary data?
Potential bias
No control over quality - could be irrelevant
May not reflect current situation
How did we collect data in Urban Cardiff?
Questionaires
Photos
Environmental Quality Assessment
Building height
What type of sampling did we use in the river?
Stratified
Give 3 examples of categorical data for rivers
Rock type
Weather conditions
River features
Give 3 examples of continuous data for rivers
Temperature
Rainfall
River discharge
