Location

In real life

Why is investigating the location relevant in these real-life situations:

making a decision about where to live
investigating the income levels of people living in a large urban area
working out how to reduce water pollution in a catchment area
tracking migratory birds that travel from one country to another
a government decision about where to build a new sewerage treatment plant
the construction of a tall apartment building in a beachside suburb?

There are many tools for analysing location, two in particular are maps and GPS.

Maps

Using a map

Maps provide an overview of an area. Topographic maps can be useful in planning fieldwork – determining the limits of the area you wish to investigate, identifying places that are easy to access for taking measurements and locating the best sites for taking photographs.

Using a topographic map

How to use a map.

Using a GPS

GPS removes the guesswork since it gives a precise position and can even be set up to guide the user to a specific location.

An advantage of using a GPS is the provision of exact latitude, longitude, altitude and time, all of which can affect field measurements.

How to use a GPS.

Quiz question

Where is your location measured from?