1. What is geographic information?
‘Physical’ geographic information is used on the Environment
Agency website. The physical features in this example include
flooding and pollution. The location element is the postcode.
A National Curriculum example from Canada using physical data can be found
here.
One of the main sources of ‘human’ geographic information is the
Census. It records a large number of variables about every person in the UK including
employment, housing and health. The geography element of it is the location of
where people live. These are aggregated into ‘output areas’, on average
125 households, to disseminate the results, and can be mapped. The most recent
UK Census was held in 2001, and is illustrated here. A National Curriculum example
of its use in Birmingham is here.