Research Method

Research Method Order Description Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences Field of Environmental Science Research Methods Assignment Brief GIS/GPS Report (portfolio) Assignment weighting: 40% Deadline Date: 24th March 2016 The Report This assignment should be presented as a report and there is a 1500 word limit. You are required to: 1) Write a brief introduction of the basic principles of using GIS and GPS [please use high quality primary and secondary sources – e.g. academic sources and GIS books and avoid being too descriptive]. 2) Write a critical discussion around the benefits and limitations of using GIS and GPS as methods used in applied research [providing current examples from academic research literature]. NB: Each map (figure) should be presented with copyright information, scale and additional information. You are positively encouraged to use current academic literature to support all your commentary, evaluations and discussions. Academic literature means primary academic papers that are published in peer reviewed periodicals or journals that are recognized by the academic community. You can access a large selection of relevant journals via the Library pages or go direct to www.sciencedirect.com or www.swetswise.com For example, academic journals found via a ‘Publication’ search with the terms GIS or GPS in Nelson or Science Direct included Transactions in GIS, Annuals in GIS, GPS Solutions…..but this last title was very technical. Specific searches for ‘full text articles’ will result in many more sources. Think more carefully about the search terms you are going to use and choose recently published high quality sources. You will be expected to use the Harvard Referencing System; if unsure, please check the Harvard Referencing System Guide available from the library pages. Please avoid using poor quality secondary sources found on the internet.