A good geographer is able to handle data in a variety of situations and a variety of ways. Geographical data handling includes the collection, interpretation, analysis, presentation, application and evaluation of both primary and secondary data. That sounds like a lot of complicated stuff to do, but if you take it step by step, it becomes a lot easier.
Primary data is original data that you collect for yourself during fieldwork, it is likely that no-one else has collected the exact same data before. Secondary data is data that has already been collected by someone else, usually for a different reason, and is gathered from GIS material and other digital sources, graphs, maps, charts, diagrams etc. Data can take many different forms - numerical, statistical, the results of questions you have asked and so on.
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The projects that you carry out as part of your GCSE will involve several types of data, but the secret to a successful project is to plan how you will collect and use it before you start.
When planning your geography investigation, if you begin with a question, it can help you to stay focussed on what data needs to be collected and how you will collect it. The question should be very specific and the outcome needs to be measurable. So investigating something like 'What do people think about the proposed nuclear power station' would not be as straightforward or successful as something like 'what percentage of local people are in favour of the building of a nuclear power station near their homes' because you can ask simple questions with yes/no answers that can be used to calculate percentages. A good question immediately directs your thoughts towards what data needs to be collected and how it could be analysed.
Once you have gathered your data, it then needs to be processed. This involves organising your data and spotting patterns in it, working out the best way to present your data and drawing your conclusions. Data can be either discrete or continuous. Discrete data can only have certain values within the range of your study, the simplest example would be yes/no answers to questions or numbers of windows in buildings. Continuous data can have any value in the range of your study, for example distance, temperature or time measurements.
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1.
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Which of the following is not involved in handling data during your geography fieldwork? |
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| [ ] |
Drawing maps |
| [ ] |
Drawing conlusions |
| [ ] |
Taking an exam |
| [ ] |
Carrying out interviews or surveys |
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2.
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Primary data is: |
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| [ ] |
Data collected by the investigator |
| [ ] |
Data collected from the internet |
| [ ] |
Data collected from an atlas |
| [ ] |
Data collected from a book |
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3.
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Which of the following is NOT an example of a student collecting secondary data? |
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| [ ] |
Visiting the local council offices to find population information from the past |
| [ ] |
Obtaining information about land use from old maps |
| [ ] |
Using library books to find the GDP of LEDCs in Africa |
| [ ] |
Observing and recording the numbers of people at different distances from a shopping centre |
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4.
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Which of the following sources would you use to obtain data about changes to transport links of a small town? |
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| [ ] |
Field sketching |
| [ ] |
A belt transect |
| [ ] |
Maps |
| [ ] |
Observation |
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5.
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A student wants to collect primary data about a river in their locality. Which of the following would NOT supply primary data? |
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| [ ] |
Old photographs of the river |
| [ ] |
Measuring the flow rate of the water |
| [ ] |
Sketching river features |
| [ ] |
Observing the wildlife on and near to the river |
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6.
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A student carries out a survey of whether people want a bypass road building to take traffic away from the town centre. The results of their survey of 100 local people is analysed and produces a percentage of people for, against and not bothered. Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate way to present their findings? |
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| [ ] |
A pie chart |
| [ ] |
A bar chart |
| [ ] |
A table |
| [ ] |
Scatter graph with a trend line |
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7.
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Which of the following techniques could be used to collect population data? |
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| [ ] |
GIS and photographs |
| [ ] |
Visiting a library and GIS |
| [ ] |
Maps and observation |
| [ ] |
Measuring and sketching |
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8.
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Which of the following is NOT a data processing technique? |
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| [ ] |
Recording answers to survey questions |
| [ ] |
Drawing a map to show the results of your data |
| [ ] |
Drawing a bar chart |
| [ ] |
Organising data into a table |
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9.
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Which of the following would be an appropriate method of processing data to discover if there is a relationship between GNP and life expectancy? |
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| [ ] |
Pie chart |
| [ ] |
Scatter graph |
| [ ] |
Histogram |
| [ ] |
Gantt chart |
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10.
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A student collects weather data for an environment. One of the data sets is the temperature taken over a period of time using a datalogger. Which of the following would be the most appropriate way of presenting this data? |
|
| [ ] |
Line graph |
| [ ] |
Pie chart |
| [ ] |
Map |
| [ ] |
Table |
|
|
|
1.
|
Which of the following is not involved in handling data during your geography fieldwork? |
|
| [ ] |
Drawing maps |
| [ ] |
Drawing conlusions |
| [x] |
Taking an exam |
| [ ] |
Carrying out interviews or surveys |
|
|
|
2.
|
Primary data is: |
|
| [x] |
Data collected by the investigator |
| [ ] |
Data collected from the internet |
| [ ] |
Data collected from an atlas |
| [ ] |
Data collected from a book |
|
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following is NOT an example of a student collecting secondary data? |
|
| [ ] |
Visiting the local council offices to find population information from the past |
| [ ] |
Obtaining information about land use from old maps |
| [ ] |
Using library books to find the GDP of LEDCs in Africa |
| [x] |
Observing and recording the numbers of people at different distances from a shopping centre |
|
|
|
4.
|
Which of the following sources would you use to obtain data about changes to transport links of a small town? |
|
| [ ] |
Field sketching |
| [ ] |
A belt transect |
| [x] |
Maps |
| [ ] |
Observation |
|
|
|
5.
|
A student wants to collect primary data about a river in their locality. Which of the following would NOT supply primary data? |
|
| [x] |
Old photographs of the river |
| [ ] |
Measuring the flow rate of the water |
| [ ] |
Sketching river features |
| [ ] |
Observing the wildlife on and near to the river |
|
|
|
6.
|
A student carries out a survey of whether people want a bypass road building to take traffic away from the town centre. The results of their survey of 100 local people is analysed and produces a percentage of people for, against and not bothered. Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate way to present their findings? |
|
| [ ] |
A pie chart |
| [ ] |
A bar chart |
| [ ] |
A table |
| [x] |
Scatter graph with a trend line |
|
|
|
7.
|
Which of the following techniques could be used to collect population data? |
|
| [ ] |
GIS and photographs |
| [x] |
Visiting a library and GIS |
| [ ] |
Maps and observation |
| [ ] |
Measuring and sketching |
|
|
|
8.
|
Which of the following is NOT a data processing technique? |
|
| [x] |
Recording answers to survey questions |
| [ ] |
Drawing a map to show the results of your data |
| [ ] |
Drawing a bar chart |
| [ ] |
Organising data into a table |
|
|
|
9.
|
Which of the following would be an appropriate method of processing data to discover if there is a relationship between GNP and life expectancy? |
|
| [ ] |
Pie chart |
| [x] |
Scatter graph |
| [ ] |
Histogram |
| [ ] |
Gantt chart |
|
|
|
10.
|
A student collects weather data for an environment. One of the data sets is the temperature taken over a period of time using a datalogger. Which of the following would be the most appropriate way of presenting this data? |
|
| [x] |
Line graph |
| [ ] |
Pie chart |
| [ ] |
Map |
| [ ] |
Table |
|
|
