Urban fieldwork

State the steps of a geographical enquiry

Introduction and planning, methods and data collection, data presentation and analysis, conclusions and evaluation

define biased

Data collection has an Inclination towards a specific outcome so sample is not representative

Define accuracy

how close a measurement is to the true value

Define reliability

consistency of results. eg, if the researchers replicate the study, they'll get the same results

Define validity

If data measured accurately measures what you intend to study

Sample Size

the number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection

Risks and risk management

Being injured by car - follow road safety rules , crime such as theft or pickpockets - stay in groups and hide valuables , bad weather - appropriate clothing

EQS

Environmental quality survey Made judgements on the quality of the environment in a set location based on a range of features, rating each on a scale of 1-5 and creating a total EQS score. The locations were decided in a set area through random number generation.

Photographs

We took a photo at every location we conducted an EQS to give a visual record of quality of life.

questionnaire

We went to Caledonian Road to ask stakeholders what their views are on how the quality of life varied in KX

random sampling advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

Least biased of all sampling all possible sample sites have an equal chance of being selected

Can be used with a large sample area/population

Disadvantages:

Representation of the overall population may be poor if the random sites miss large areas

Some sites selected may not be accessible or safe

Systematic sampling advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

It is easy and quick making it more straightforward than random sampling

It covers the whole study area equally

Disadvantages

Not all sites have an equal chance of being selected which increases the bias

There may be over or under-representation of a particular feature

Stratified sampling advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

It can be used alongside systematic and random sampling

Comparisons can be made between sub-sets

Disadvantages

The proportions of sub-sets need to be known and accurate

Retail diversity index

Tallied different land uses of the street and used a formula to calculate RDI, we did this for every shop we passed.

RDI pros and cons

Pros

Easy to collect data so larger sample size and more representative

Very reliable as it's very and clear.

Cons

Categories on RICEPOTS categorisation can overlap less accurate or reliable.

EQS pros and cons

Pros

Easy to collect...

Measures many different aspects on environment, valid.

Cons

Entirely subject so not reliable and data cannot be compared if collected by different people.

Photographs pros and cons

Pros

Easy and quick to collect...

More accurate than field sketch as it visually represents location.

Cons

Hard to compare with a photo of diff location.

Not representative of whole area just from one POV.

Doesn't account for air or noise pollution.

Questionnaire pros and cons

Pros

Spoke to multiple people so representative

Range of multiple choice options so the opinion is more accurate and precise.

Open ended question aids analysis.

Cons

People who didn't live there may have answered questions.

Set of people may not be representative of community as it is just one time of day.

Land use maps

Using rice pots to identify different land uses and colour codes are marked on map.

GIS located proportional symbols

Map symbols are shaded in a gradient to represent EQS scores.

Annotated photos (presentation)

Geolocated photos are placed on maps to contextualise EQS data with annotations on QoL.

100% stacked bar chart

Based on questionnaire bars are stacked on each other to show proportion of each option chosen based on questions regarding quality of life.

Land use maps pros and cons

Pros

Easy to see spatial variation and trends.

Cons

Long and hard process, gives us less time to collect or analyse data in other sections which can weaken conclusions.

GIS located proportional symbols pros and cons

Pros

Locational data is good for comparing and shows spatial trends and variation.

Cons

Not a precise value is shown on the map.

Only gives total EQS score and doesn't reflect on each section.

Annotated photos pros and cons

Pros

Can explain EQS scores.

Very accurate compared to a field sketch.

Can help remind us of locations if we have forgotten details over time.

Cons

Not fully representative of the area only one POV

Ethical concerns of including photos of people in data presentations.

100% stacked bar chart pros and cons

Pros

Easy to spot trends for each question.

Able to put lots of data into one graph.

Cons

Hard to compare data sets as the different responses have different baselines so don't line up.

To improve add percentage labels on each bar.

What is the title of the geographical enquiry

To what extent does quality of life vary in King's Cross?

What is the hypothesis and conclusion?

Quality of life is higher in regenerated King's Cross than Bemerton estate and Caledonian Road.

What evidence is conclusion based on

EQS map higher score in RKX

Questionnaire 60 percent agree QoL is better in RKX

Photo data shows a higher QoL in RKX

How reliable are conclusions and why

Fairly reliable but sample size is small so not representative, only collected on one time and day and EQS subjective data was collated.