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What are Observation Studies?
You can observe and take a photograph of the area. Photographs provide accurate record of part of the environment we are at. They allow us to identify key features of the area and help us observe the relationships between these features.
For example, you can gather data on services that are specially catering to tourists in Chinatown to help them get around and understand the place. These services can be in the form of pamphlet stands, signboards and directional signs. (Later, these photographs may be used to illustrate the landuse map.)
What is the use of Digital Photographs?
Digital photographs are quick and convenient method of data collection to capture visual evidence so that you can process it later when you return to school. It is very important to remember that the photographs you take should match the purpose of your investigation.
Advantages of Photographs
They are more accurate than field sketches
They can be good for showing data collection techniques e.g. measuring a river’s load
They can support data collection findings e.g. they can show an example of a poor environment.
They can show temporal changes, especially if you can find historical photos.
You can annotate and label them.
Disadvantages of Photographs
People often include photos that are not relevant e.g. a photo of their friends.
People forget to label, annotate or refer to a photo, which then makes them irrelevant.
People often only take photographs showing the nice things e.g. pretty view and forget the more ugly areas that are just important e.g. pollution.
They can often contains too much information e.g. people and vehicles.
Because they are two-dimensional, depth can be deceptive.
What is a Perception Survey?
A perception survey is a data collection method which is carried out to investigate your views on the quality of the built environment in this case. To collect such data, a survey using pairs of opposite words to talk about the environment is used. By showing the two extreme ends of each pair (e.g. high versus low), you (or the respondent) can then choose the most suitable option.
Perception survey can be used for example to determine the quality of the built environment in Chinatown. How well-kept a place is has influence on the experience of the visitors. Therefore, it will be meaningful to investigate how the built environment in Chinatown has positive, negative or mixed effect on tourists’ experience.
Advantages of Perception Survey
· Simple to create
· Caters to a large sample size
· Convenient
· Low cost
Disadvantages of Perception Survey
Respondents may not provide accurate and honest answers
· Respondents may not feel comfortable providing answers that present themselves in an unfavourable manner
· Respondents cannot offer other aspects or qualities that affect them.
· Difficult to arrive at a conclusion if too many respondents put neutral rating of 0.
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