Carrying out mapping techniques: KS4

Introductory techniques

Environmental quality and surveys can be useful to collect quantitative data about a place’s physical characteristics but gathering meaningful data about how we perceive or experience a place is more complex.

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Students can be introduced to the concept of assigning mood or feelings to different locations using simple emojis.

Using a printed map of the school site, students can use stickers or draw emojis themselves to assign how they perceive or feel about particular places.

Questions:

Does everyone regard each emoji as representing the same feeling?
What affects our mood? Weather, time of day, other factors?
How do our lived experiences affect our perception and feelings about a place?
Subjective nature of the emojis as a description of feelings, how can we improve the system?

Mapping technique

Using evidence-based research to help us increase the precision and reliability of the data collection is good practice. In the Field Studies Council example below, which is inspired by Daniele Quercia’s Happy Maps and the Yale Centre’s of Emotional Intelligence mood categories, we describe a method for students to create a data collection pathway.

Teachers should define the location of study in terms of mapping mood; this could be within school grounds or in a local high street or green space. Using the Mood Mapping GIS Survey123 students should record both the mood category and any qualitative thoughts that underpin their chosen mood as well as location.

The survey takes you through collecting the data, viewing the collected data, downloading the data and even making your own map.

This data can then be viewed on ArcGIS on different map layers and with added data if appropriate to help understand the findings. Students could also create a physical map of the school grounds, as a choropleth map to show areas, or hotspots with strong emotions.

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