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Fieldwork: presenting and analysing data

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Collecting data is only half the job. Geographers present it clearly and use simple statistics to find patterns and test ideas.

Averages and spread

Mean: add up all the values and divide by how many there are.
Median: the middle value when they are in order.
Mode: the most common value.
Range: the biggest value minus the smallest; it shows the spread.
For 3, 5, 6, 8, 13: mean = 35 / 5 = 7, median = 6, range = 13 - 3 = 10.

Choosing the right graph

Bar chart: comparing categories (e.g. land uses).
Line graph: change over time or distance (e.g. temperature through a day).
Pie chart: parts of a whole (e.g. how people travel to school).
Scatter graph: the relationship between two variables (e.g. distance from town centre and pedestrian count).
Choropleth map: areas shaded darker for higher values (e.g. population density).
Proportional symbols and flow lines show amounts and movements on maps.

Analysing and concluding

On a scatter graph, a positive correlation means both variables rise together; a negative correlation means one rises as the other falls.
Draw a line of best fit and look for anomalies (results that do not fit the pattern) and explain them.
Use your evidence to accept or reject your hypothesis, quoting data. Then evaluate: were there enough samples? Could errors have crept in?
Worked example

Pedestrian counts at five sites were 12, 30, 18, 30 and 25. Find the mean, median, mode and range.

  1. Mean: 12 + 30 + 18 + 30 + 25 = 115; 115 / 5 = 23.
  2. In order: 12, 18, 25, 30, 30. Median = 25 (the middle value). Mode = 30 (appears twice).
  3. Range = 30 - 12 = 18.

Answer: Mean 23, median 25, mode 30, range 18.

Key idea

Mean (total / number), median (middle), mode (most common), range (largest minus smallest). Bar charts for categories, line graphs for change, pie charts for parts of a whole, scatter graphs for relationships, choropleth maps for areas. Look for correlation and anomalies, then accept or reject your hypothesis.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

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