Investigating differences in environmental quality within a local urban area

The aim of this resource is to examine whether environmental quality varies within an urban area. Two different approaches are illustrated in this example. These relate to the collection of the primary data used in the GIS exercise and its subsequent analysis.

This task is suitable for students at GCSE level and could be differentiated on the basis of the techniques used. It has been trialed as a coursework project

The resource uses ESRI ArcView software version 9; particularly ArcMap, a component of the program.

The location used for this resource is Canterbury but it is transferable to any small urban area as it combines GIS mapping techniques with primary fieldwork data collection.

This resource was written by Sian Grayson (Barton Court School) and edited by David Rayner (The Grammar School for Girls Wilmington)