1. Book: An Introduction to Scientific Research Methods in Geography (Montello & Sutton) 2006 GEOG4020-Research Methods Instructor: Paul C. Sutton University of Denver, Dept. of Geography Katie Williams, January 15, 2010 1

2.  Primary and Secondary Data Sources  Types of Data Collection in Geography  Physical measurement  Observation of behavior  Archives  Explicit records  Computational modeling  An Introduction to Quantitative and Qualitative Methods 2

3.  Primary data—data collected intentionally by a researcher for a particular study  Benefit: Data are custom-made to answer a specific research question  Drawback: Data acquisition incurs high time and effort costs 3

4.  Secondary data—data collected by a third party for another purpose, but used by a researcher for his or her study  Benefit: Data are more readily available for less time, effort, and monetary cost  Drawback: Data is usually only moderately tailored to the research question 4

5. Primary Data Secondary Data Large spatial area Large temporal scale Interdisciplinary research questions High costCollection difficulty Many Geographers tend toward using secondary data due to the unique qualities of Geographic research projects  Many Geographers tend to use secondary data due to the unique qualities of geographic research projects 5

6.  Physical measurement  Record of physical properties of the earth or its inhabitants  Observation of behavior  Obvious and observable actions or activities of individuals or groups of people  Archives  Existing records that were collected for non- research purposes 6

7.  Explicit reports  Beliefs or choice directly expressed by a person in response to a research question  Computational modeling  Mathematical evaluation of theoretical structures and processes, typically using a computer 7

8.  Quantitative data  Numerical values measured on ordinal to metric levels  High level of structure for data collection and pre- defined variables  Rigorous analysis methods using statistics 8

9.  Qualitative data  Non-numerical or categorical numbers with no quantitative meaning  Less structure for research variables; often measurement values are determined as data collection progresses  Informal, less repeatable data analysis 9

10.  The best approach is to combine quantitative and qualitative methods to meet the specific needs of a particular study 10

11.  What type of data, collection method and analysis method is appropriate for the following studies? Why?  Study #1: Assessing canopy cover change in Rocky Mountain pine stands that have been infected with pine beetles. Assume varied levels of tree mortality associated with spatial-temporal factors. 11

12.  Study #2: Widespread malaria epidemics in the early 1900’s greatly affected health and social development in Argentina. A researcher wants to study the malaria problem as it existed in the 1900’s and how it related with social, demographic, and environmental trends at that time. What type of data would be needed for this study? Research credit: Eric D. Carter, Malaria, Landscape, and Society in Northwest Argentina in the Early Twentieth Century. J. of Latin American Geog. 2008 12

13.  Study #3: The Denver Parks Service would like to add 20 miles to public city trails network in 2011. To indentify ideal locations for these trails, the Parks Service needs to identify available space, characteristics of frequent users, and accessibility for frequent users. 13