geographical methods (3.how to process and analyse data) Flashcards
the data we collect from field work allows us to us to
make interpretations to make meaning of data collected
we process and analysis data to
- seek patterns, relationships, and connections
- look for trends, relationships and sequences
ways to measure frequency
count and percentage
count
the total number of time something occurs
percentage
- a proportion of something, expressed as a fraction our of a 100
formula used to calculate percentage
(data/ total data) X 100%
measures of central tendency
mean, median, mode
what is mean
the average
how to calculate mean
sum all the values in the data set, divided by the number of values in the data set
advantages of calculating mean
it includes every value in the data set and no data is left out to show the central data (representative)
disadvantage of calculating mean
it is subjected to the influence of outliers, which can skew it and thus not provide the central location
median
the middle
how to calculate median
middle value for a set of data that has been arranged in ascending order (begins with the smallest value and ending with the largest value)
advantages of calculating median
it is less affected by outliers
disadvantage of calculating median
it is not as sensitive as mean in showing the central location in a data set (as it does not take all data points into account)
how to find mode
the mode is determined my ordering all the numbers then counting the number of times each number occurs. the number that occurs the most is the mode
mode
the most common
advantage of mode
useful for categorical data (eg finding the most popular __ ) and is not affected by outliers
disadvantage if mode
not useful for continuous dates (eg. temperature over the course of the day) because there may be 2 or more values that share the highest frequency
what are 6 to take note of when analysing mental maps
- centring and borders
- scale of map elements
- labelling
- colours, legend and symbols
- perspective and orientation
- additional features
centering and borders
features drawn at the centre captures attention, signalling these features are of greater importance to the mapper (as compared to features drawn at the boarders)
labelling
labeled places indicate familiarity with the environment under study and may be accompanied by annotations
choice of words used ( ✅❌) in labelling provides information on mappers knowledge and emotion of the places experiences
scale of map elements
comparing the scale of different map features within the map and with reality provides insights about a mapper’s familiarity and activity within the space
blank spaces could mean that the mapper is unfamiliar with the area or has not engaged in any activities there before
colours, legend and symbols
memories of experiences can be represented spatially on maps using colours, the legend and symbols
colours in a map
can differentiate places and convey emotions, like red representing anger
legend of mental maps
elaborates the symbols the mapper used
symbols on mental maps
symbols like hearts and stars convey personal experience or information of places, such as a favourite or an important location to the mapper
perspective and orientation
aerial view vs street view
how places are positions or orientated in relation to the surroundings also reveal the mapper’s subjective experience.
aerial view
captures a large area with lesser details
street view
capture a small area with greater details and could suggest the mappers familiarity with the area
additional features
additional features like paths, nodes or intersections may be added onto mental maps to show the mappers personal experiences of the places such as the daily routes they take
comparing actual maps with participants mental maps reveal
the differences such as disorientations, mislabeling, and mislocations, helping to understand the factors influencing perceived spaces
how can further verification be made with the mapper
through open ended questions asked during semi structured interviews where the mapper can also be asked why some spaces are prominent while others are absent or ignored
analysing processed data requires researchers to explain and interpret
observable patterns and relationships
observable patterns
characteristics that are similar and repeat themselves in a natural or human environment
relationships
interaction or connection between two things
ways to identify observable patterns or relationships
- patterns and relationships from interpretation of scatter plots
- best fit lines
- recognisable patterns
patterns and relationships from the interpretation of scatter plots
shows information of various points with 2 variables which are plotted on the x and y axis of a graph
best fit lines
a straight line drawn on a scatter plot to show the relationship between 2 variables
types of variables
independent and dependent variable
independent variable
the variable that causes change
dependent variable
the variable affected by change
recognisable geometric shape
regular shapes characterised by straight lines, points and angles
clusters
information arranged close together in a group
