Pre Fieldwork Skills
To prepare you for your geography fieldwork with Observatory Hill EEC
Download the Pre fieldwork Skills Journal to develop your fieldwork skills
Fieldwork skills
Fieldwork is a way of learning that involves visiting places outside and collecting and recording information in a variety of ways. When you do fieldwork in geography, you develop special research skills and use maps, photos and fieldwork testing equipment. Fieldwork is the work you do when you are outside studying natural and human activities. Look at the following skills to help prepare you for the fieldwork activities you will be doing.
1. Photo interpretation
During your fieldwork, you will study photos of your study site. As the diagram shows there are different types of photos that geographers use in fieldwork. These are:
Ground level photos - taken from the ground looking across to the area being photographed.
Vertical Aerial photos - are taken from an aeroplane or drone looking straight down at the area being photographed.
Oblique aerial photographs - taken from an aeroplane or drone looking down at an angle at the area being photographed.
Satellite photographs - taken from satellites, often 1000 km above the earth looking straight down at the area being photographed.
There are advantages and disadvantages when using each type of photo for fieldwork.
A. Ground level photos
The ground level photograph on the left shows Blackwattle Bay and the Sydney Fish Markets (blue building) in the middle distance. This is a very common type of photo.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the photos to answer the following:
1. Write down one natural and one human - made feature of Blackwattle Bay from the ground -level photo.
2. Compare this photo with any another photo below, and name two things you cannot see from this photo.
B. Vertical Aerial Photos
The vertical aerial photo on the left shows many features of Blackwattle Bay. These types of photos are often taken from satellites, planes and drones.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the photos to answer the following:
3. Write down one natural and one human - made feature of Blackwattle Bay from the vertical aerial photo.
4. Compare this photo with the oblique aerial photo (below) and name two things you cannot identify easily from this photo.
C. Oblique Aerial Photos
The oblique aerial photo on the left shows most features of Blackwattle Bay. Some of the features are more easily recognised in this photo than in the aerial, but others are hidden.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the photos to answer the following:
5. Compare this photo with the vertical aerial photo (above). Find the Sydney Fish Markets building. Name two things about this building that you can see or identify better from this photo.
D. Satellite Photos
The Google satellite photo and map on the left shows most of the features of Blackwattle Bay. Some of the features are not easily recognised in this photo.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the photos to answer the following:
6. Compare this photo with the oblique aerial photo (above). Find the high rise buildings between Anzac bridge and Bowman St. In which photo can you see the high rise buildings better / Why?
2. Map interpretation
During your fieldwork you will study maps of your study site.
Geographers use different types of maps when doing fieldwork. They include pictorial, physical, sketch, relief, satellite, thematic, topographic, Google street maps and many others.
You will use pictorial and Google maps in your fieldwork and will study them now so we are familiar with them.
These maps show the earth’s surface in varying amounts of detail, depending on their scale. Scale refers to how much one centimetre on the map represents in real life.
A. Large scale maps
Large scale maps show a small area in large detail. Examples of large scale maps include schools, emergency evacuation maps, zoos or Shopping Centres .
This pictorial map (see right) shows Blackwattle Bay and the surrounding area. It is an example of a large scale map because it shows a small area with large amounts of detail, eg, the trees on the shoreline.
The scale is approximately 1 centimetre to 100 metres. Which means that 1 cm on the map represents 100 metres in real life/on the ground.
When writing scale down using numbers only, both sides have to be the same unit of measurement. So this scale can be written like this
1: 10 000, ( not 1:100 metres) because 100 metres is the same as
10 000 cm.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the maps above and below to answer the following:
Make sure you maintain the map at the size shown, so don't zoom in or out when you are doing these questions.
7. The large scale map shows large amount of detail eg. the trees on the shoreline. What two other details can you see on the pictorial map above?
8. The scale is approximately 1cm represents 100 metres. If the length on the map of the Anzac Bridge is 4 cm, how long is the Anzac Bridge in real life?
B. Small scale maps
Small scale maps show a large area in small detail. Examples of small scale maps are maps of the world, countries and regions. The map to the left shows most of NSW, with Blackwattle Bay tagged.
A small scale map is useful to show location and where something is in relation to other places, but it doesn't show very much detail about Blackwattle Bay.
On a small scale map, 1 cm might represent 1000 kilometres, (which is the same as 100 000 000 centimetres).
When writing scale using numbers, both sides have to be the same unit of measurement, for example, the scale above can also be written like this
1:100 000 000.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the maps above and below to answer the following:
9. The scale on the Google map (left) is approximately 1 cm represents 100 kilometres. If the straight distance on a ruler between Blackwattle Bay and Canberra is 3 centimetres, how far is it in kilometres?
10. Now zoom closer (using the +/- magnification tool) and see Blackwattle Bay appear. Why does the scale at the bottom of the map change when you do this?
C. Mapping Rules
Maps should always have a:
Border eg, a frame around the map
Orientation ie, a north point
Legend also called a key
Title ie, a name or heading
Scale -showing what one centimetre on the map represents in real life.
Source - where doe the map come from ? eg, Google maps.
This list can be remembered as BOLTSS.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the map (left) to answer the following :
11. The Google map on the left does not contain all of the features of a good map.
What title would you give this map ?
12. Using small squares with three different colours, create a legend for this map - one for parks/bushland, one for the suburbs and one for the waterways.
D. How to use a compass
You will use a compass on your fieldwork. A compass tells you which direction you are facing.
The red needle floating in the centre of the compass always points north. If you turn the dial (Bezel) around so that the floating needle lines up with the north arrow, you can tell what direction you are facing.
3. Water Quality
A. Water quality and liveability
The quality of the water means how clean, or polluted and dirty the water is. Between 1788 and 1988 humans made Blackwattle Bay very dirty and polluted by:
Letting industries dump their chemicals and pollution into the water
Letting the drains and gutters from our roads and footpaths drain dirty water into the Bay. The water which runs through our drains and gutters after rain is called stormwater.
Throwing litter and rubbish directly into the Blackwattle Bay.
Over the past 30-40 years humans have been improving the water quality in Blackwattle Bay by:
Closing industries
Putting filters over the drains to stop rubbish flowing into the Bay after it rains
Making laws to fine people who pollute or litter.
Geographers use the word liveability to describe whether a place is a nice, safe and convenient place to live in. If an area is polluted or dirty, then it is not as liveable as a place which has clean air, water and land.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Use the photos to answer the following:
13. Describe how the liveability of Blackwattle Bay has changed between 1921 and 2001. (Hint: use the photos above and on the website).
B. Water quality tests
When we are doing fieldwork in Blackwattle Bay we can measure the quality of the water and make a judgement on whether it is dirty, clean or something in-between.
On your fieldwork excursion you will measure certain characteristics of water which are easy, quick and safe for you to measure, these are:
Turbidity - how clear or cloudy/dirty the water is.
pH - how acid or alkaline the water is
Phosphates - How much Phosphate is in the water
All of these things can affect the quality of the water.
i. Turbidity
What is it? Turbidity means how clear or cloudy/dirty the water is.
How do we measure it? We use a turbidity tube. You take a sample of water and fill the tube slowly. You look down the tube and when you cannot see the pattern on the bottom of the tube, you stop filling the tube. Then, you look at the side of the tube and read the number next to the water level. These numbers show a measurement called Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU'S) which is a measurement of how dirty the water is.
Units of measurement NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Units
What happens if it is high? High turbidity means you cannot see through the water easily because there are lots of tiny particles of dirt, leaves or rubbish present. This can harm plants and animals.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Watch the YouTube clip to answer the following:
14. What do you look for, at the bottom of the tube, before you take your measurement of turbidity?
ii. pH
What is it? The pH of water refers to how acid or alkaline the water is. An example of water that is acid is lemon juice. An example of water that is alkaline is soapy water.
How do we measure it? We use pH paper strips which react with the water sample. You will take a sample of water and put the strip in the water. After you take the strip out of the water you compare the colours to a small colour indicator chart. The number tells you whether the water is acid or alkaline.
Units of measurement Water pH is measured as a number between 0-14.
The pH scale tell us that 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic and greater than 7 is alkaline (basic).
What happens if it is high The best result for sea water/saltwater is 8, for freshwater is 7.
If it is above or below these numbers, then water may be polluted, which can harm animals and plants.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Watch the YouTube clip section showing how to record pH with a test strip to answer the following:
15. Why do you think it is necessary to wait for one minute before comparing your paper strip with the colour chart?
iii. Phosphate
What is it? Phosphate is made up of phosphorus which is a nutrient in the soil and encourages many plants to grow.
How do we measure it? You will use a tablet which reacts with the water sample. If there are phosphates in the water, the water turns a shade of blue. You will then compare your shade of blue with a colour and number scale.
Units of measurement Phosphate is measured using ppm, which stands for parts per million. We can also use milligrams per litre of water, mg/L. Both give us a measure of how dilute or strong the pollutant is in the water.
What happens if it is high? Too much phosphate in the water acts like a nutrient and promotes growth of weeds and algae. Too much algae growing on the surface of the water can block sunlight which harms plants and animals. Some algae also release toxins.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
Watch the YouTube clip to answer the following:
16. Why do you think you have to shake and dissolve the tablet before you take let your sample sit for five minutes?
4. Land use
Geographers use the term 'land use' to describe the main way land is used by humans in an area. For example, if an area has lots of factories on it, it is called an Industrial land use. Councils often create Land Use Zones to try to organise and plan their communities. For example, keeping all the factories in an Industrial Zone, and all the housing in a Residential Zone.
The main types of land use are:
Recreation eg, sporting fields, walking paths.
Commercial eg, businesses such offices, shops and markets.
Residential eg, houses, apartments, terraces.
Industrial eg, factories, large storage sheds.
Transport eg, roads, rail, cycleways.
Education eg, schools, childcare.
Nature eg, bushland, gardens
Agriculture eg, farming
Humans have continually changed and shaped Blackwattle Bay. For example:
The old storage sheds in Wentworth Park were pulled down after WW2 and the local council turned the area into a park.
The NSW Government built a new Fish market in the 1966. The Fish market provided a place for seafood traders to sell their seafood and a place by the Bay for people to come and have lunch.
The NSW Government is demolishing the Fish market and building a new one nearby. It will be completed in 2024. The old Fish Market site will be redeveloped into a mixed use area with commercial, recreational and residential land uses.
Pre fieldwork Skills Journal
17. Look at the Land Use images below. Why do you think Councils separate different areas into different land use zones?
Recreational Land Use
Commercial Land Use
Residential Land Use
Industrial Land Use
Transport Land Use
Educational Land Use
Natural Land Use
Agricultural Land Use
5. Field sketches
A Field Sketch is a simple outline drawing of a landscape, completed outside, from what you can observe. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece but it should show the main human and natural features.
Your fieldwork journal has a fieldwork frame where you will draw your sketch.
one way to help your sketch is to divide the frame into three parts called the foreground, middle ground and background. You could also use a grid.
Sketch the things furthest away (background) first and work towards the foreground
Draw the features or objects as they are seen in each section - Include only what is necessary
Label the features in your sketch and add notes to explain the features that you want to highlight
Your sketch should be done in pencil and include a:
Date and time
Location
Title
Direction of view
labelled features
6. PicCollage
One way to collect data on a field trip is to take photographs. These can be used in any follow-up task when you are analysing your fieldwork data or preparing an assignment or fieldwork report. You will be given an iPad to collect photos and create a pic collage which is a collection of your best photographs on the day. You can also bring your own camera to take photos if you want to.
Students doing a field sketch as part of their fieldwork
7. What to bring
On your fieldwork day, you will be doing fieldwork by observing and recording information about Blackwattle Bay, and doing some water tests. You will also be walking about 2.2km. You will need to wear your school or sports uniform (whatever your teacher says) and bring:
your worksheet
a pen and pencil
a clipboard
your lunch (preferably in a lunch box)
a refillable water bottle
good walking shoes
a hat
sunscreen if it's hot
a raincoat or umbrella if it's raining.