Primary and Secondary Data Collection Methods

Data Collection Definitions

• Primary data: Data personally collected by you. Examples include traffic counts, pedestrian counts, environmental indexes, questionnaires, or land use surveys.
• Secondary data: Data collected by someone else. This can be found in books, on the internet, or in academic journals.
• Census: A detailed, compulsory survey carried out by nearly all countries every 10 years.

Primary Data Analysis

Advantages

• It is up to date (current).
• You know how the data has been collected.
• Includes data relevant to coursework.
• Only covers your study area.
• Collected in the format that you want.

Disadvantages

• Data may include personal bias.
• Collection can be time-consuming.
• Can be expensive to collect.
• Hard to study temporal changes.
• Some data might be unavailable or too dangerous to collect.
• Only possible to cover a small area.

Secondary Data Analysis

Advantages

• Allows for the study of temporal changes.
• Can be quicker, especially if the data is online.
• You can study a larger area.
• May include data that you cannot obtain personally.

Disadvantages

• It may be out of date.
• Contains more information than you need.
• Information may cover a larger area than your study area.
• May not know how or by whom the data was collected.
• Data might be in the wrong format.

Data Types and Sampling

• Quantitative data: Data involving figures. It is easy to present and analyze, though it can be general and exclude specific details.
• Qualitative data: Written data or photographs. Tends to be individual or personal and can be harder to present and analyze. Often results from interviews with open-ended questions.
• Sampling: A section or part of an entire study area or population representing the whole. Necessary due to time and money limitations.

Fieldwork Equipment and River Features

• Calliper: Used to measure the width, depth, or length of small objects.
• Clinometer: Used for measuring slope angles, often used with ranging poles.
• Pebbleometer: A basic device for measuring the size and shape of material found on a beach or in a river.
• River features:
  • Upper course: Waterfalls, rapids, V-shaped valleys.
  • Lower course: Meanders, ox-bow lakes, deltas, levees, floodplains.