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• All independent investigations should start with a hypothesis or an enquiry question.
• There are two types of data that can be collected: primary and secondary data.
• Before conducting any fieldwork, it is important to look at the risks involved.

Geographers sometimes leave the classroom and find things out for themselves. This is known as independent investigation or fieldwork. All good independent investigations start with a hypothesis or an enquiry question. These set out the aim of the investigation. A risk assessment should also be carried out before the investigation or fieldwork begins.

This is all part of the planning stage, which is only the first stage involved in geographical enquiry.

A hypothesis is an idea that can be tested. A good hypothesis might look like this:

The area of Manchester city centre with the most pedestrians is Market Street.

A hypothesis should be clear and measurable. A poor hypothesis would be vague and difficult to measure. A poor hypothesis might look like this:

Manchester is nice.

Manchester is a very large area so this would be difficult to test. What is meant by 'nice' is not clear or measurable.

An enquiry question is similar to a hypothesis. The difference is that rather than being a statement, it is posed as a question. An enquiry question might look like this:

What is the busiest part of Manchester city centre and why?

Before collecting the data that will help to prove the hypothesis or answer the question, it is important to assess the risks associated with collecting this data. For a physical geography investigation, for example, there may be risks associated with working near water. For a human geography investigation, there may be the hazard of working near traffic. By completing a risk assessment, you will be able to identify any possible risks and put in place measures to prevent them. For example, pupils may be given a safety briefing before the fieldwork takes place or safety equipment may be used to help avoid accident or injury.

An independent investigation is made up of two types of data: primary data and secondary data .

Primary data is data you have collected yourself. This is first-hand information and is also known as raw data.

There are many different ways to collect primary data.

Examples for a human geography investigation include:

• counting the number of people in different parts of a town
• conducting a questionnaire
• completing a land-use map

Examples for a physical geography investigation include:

• measuring the velocity, depth or width of a river
• measuring pebble size
• completing a field sketch

Secondary data is information collected by someone else. This could include:

• newspaper reports
• census data
• crime data
• house prices
• flood maps

This type of data helps to provide some background to the investigation and can be compared to the primary data collected.

Sometimes, a geographical enquiry needs to be adapted depending on the resources available. This might involve using sampling or virtual fieldwork to get the data that is needed.

When collecting data, it is not always possible to measure everything, so many data collection methods involve sampling. Sampling is about choosing what is going to be measured. For example, you might need to choose which pebbles on a beach will be used for an investigation into coastal processes.

There are three sampling strategies:

• Random sampling is where samples are randomly chosen and everything has an equal chance of being chosen for measurement. For example, every person is given an equal chance of being picked for a questionnaire or every pebble is given an equal chance of being measured.
• Systematic sampling is where a more regular sample is taken. For example, every tenth person is interviewed or river depth is measured every five metres.
• Stratified sampling is where bias is deliberately included so as to answer a specific question. For example, only interviewing tourists for an investigation into tourism.

It may not always be possible to go into the field and collect data. Some organisations such as universities and geographical societies have started to provide virtual fieldwork experiences. These include activities such as using virtual reality headsets to take part in virtual trips to field locations, such as glaciers and rainforests. Although it is not possible to collect primary data from these virtual trips, they are useful as they allow geographers to visit locations they would not otherwise be able to.