physical fieldwork Flashcards
what is primary data
information that you collect yourself
what is secondary data
information that someone has already collected and made available
examples of primary data
- traffic count
- interview
- questionnaire
- taking photos
examples of secondary data
- old maps and photos
- crime stats
- climate data
- google earth
- satellite images
what is the title of the physical geography investigation
the effect of trampling on the abundance and diversity of vegetation at Reigate heath, surrey
what are the factors considered when choosing a suitable question for physical investigation
- is the area accessible to get to many times
- the heath is an SSSI
- have you got permission from the landowner
- safety
what are the primary and secondary sources for physical investigation
primary:
- % vegetation covered
- depth of path
-number of species
- height of species
- field sketch
- conflict matrix
secondary:
map of area
what was the conclusion from the physical investigation
percentage vegetation increases with distance away from the footpath. this is due to human usage being more concentrated near the footpath through dog walkers and members of the public
what are the risks for the physical fieldwork
- ticks causing Lyme disease
- weather
- adders
- uneven ground
data presentation for physical fieldwork
- kite diagram
- proportional circles of % vegetation coverage
what was the evaluation of the physical fieldwork ( data collection methods)
- difficult to estimate vegetation exactly within quadrat (subjective)
- only carried out at one time of the year, heath users more active in the summer so vegetation coverage would be less
- only sampled 20m transect line given time constraints, would enlarge to 30m
- quadrats allowed me to gain “good spatial coverage” over a distance.
- quadrats were caried out systematically (every 1m) and this meant that “bias” was avoided as well as enabling me to gain a ‘good representation’ of % vegetation coverage
- a total of 5 transects (lines of investigation) were carried out across a footpath which was an adequate size, however if i was to repeat i would increase my sample size to 10 quadrats and return at different seasons, this would enable me to be more confident that % vegetation coverage increases with distance from the footpath