Geographic data

Types of Geographic data  Surveys  Photographs  Sketches  Numerical data (eg counting the number of a particular item in an area)  Brochures, tourism leaflets etc

Surveys  Ask members of the public some questions  Have to be prepared with questions beforehand  Ask the same questions of each person you survey  Be polite, explain who you are and what you are working on  Only ask 2-3 quick questions: people are busy and you shouldn’t take up too much of their time.

Photographs & Sketches  Field sketching and field photography are fundamental parts of any field work investigation. Benefits of sketches:  You can annotate your sketch: add notes, create a legend, label items you want to draw attention to. Benefits of photographs:  Before and after shots could be taken to show differences before and after an event, for example a rain storm  Taking photographs of the same place at different times of the day can show changes, eg the change in traffic flow at a particular junction, the pedestrian flow across an intersection.  Can also add digital annotations afterwards, but would have to record these on paper during the fieldwork trip as well

Numerical data  Counting the number of a particular item in an area For example:  How many bins are located along Swanston Street: between Flinders & Collins; Collins & Bourke;  How many different types of facilities are located within some of Melbourne’s parks, gardens & reserves (eg playgrounds, public toilets)  How many drain pipes feed into the Yarra River between Princes Bridge (St Kilda Road) and Queensbridge St (bridge just before Casino); and Queensbridge St and Kings Way bridge

Numerical data  Can present in graph format afterwards to make comparisons (see example below)  Can also mark items on a map on the day of the fieldwork excursion  Have printed maps with you on the day to add annotations and rough sketches too

Brochures, tourism leaflets etc  Useful for seeing maps and locations of things, eg: parks; various items along water ways; public transport, cycle and walking routes.  Go to the Visitor’s Centre at Federation Square to collect these items