Village People - MapStream for Schools

Village People
Alan Parkinson
Learning Resource
Key Stage 3
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Mapstream for Schools Learning Resources
These resources are a guide for teachers to demonstrate to the whole class or direct individual
students as appropriate. Each activity has several ideas within it that you can tailor to suit your class
and pupils. Some resources contain worksheets for direct distribution to pupils.
Level
Context
KS3
Rural life and changes to villages – link to village
communities and action
Knowledge
Location
Any village could be the focus for
this work. It would make sense to
choose a village which was a
manageable size.
Changing map scales, creating shapefiles after fieldwork,
symbolising and recording fieldwork data, adding labels,
querying map information and using map symbols.
QGIS is an appropriate piece of software for this unit
Cirriculum links (England)
Local studies, map skills
GCSE: Rural Environments and Rural–Urban Interrelationships,
Settlements, Land use Mapping, Rural Issues
Scottish Curriculum for
Excellence
(Social Science Outcomes: People, Place and Environment):
0.07a, 1.07a, 1.11a, 1.13a, 1.14a, 2.10a, 4.10a, 4.14a
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Threats and changes to Rural communities
Introduction / context
‘Countryfile’ is a programme that has now been broadcast regularly on the BBC for over twenty
years, and remains very popular.
There is also a BBC ‘Countryfile’ magazine which follows up on many of the issues that affect those
people who live in, work in, or enjoy visiting the Great British countryside. Rural communities are
facing specific issues as a result of a range of challenges, some of which go back for a decade or
more. The changing relationship between agriculture and the communities who live in them has
created some issues. Many rural villages are no longer the agricultural locations they once were,
being instead dormitories or suburban communities, or alternatively places where those who can
afford to try to downsize or escape the city.
They are places where the demographic profile tends to be older than the nearby cities, and also
areas where access to services often depends on the ownership of a car.
Preview any issues of ‘Countryfile’ which may be available to view on BBC iPlayer – there may be a
short section that is relevant to show to reinforce the issues involved.
Rural communities are subject to particular pressures.
Historians use the term ‘palimpsest’. This describes the way that all landscapes are subject to change
over time, and previous layers have often been scraped away, so that we cannot always see them in
the present day as we are living in the most recent layer – however, they tend to leave clues behind in
the present day. It is rare for all previous traces to have been removed. What signs of the past can we
see as we walk around rural settlements and their surrounding areas?
Local studies used to be something that formed the basis for a lot of geographical fieldwork, and it
often started with the Ordnance Survey map. This activity also uses the Ordnance Survey map at its
heart.
The Digimap for Schools MapStream layer enables some detailed explorations of villages
to identify their characteristics, and overlay the maps with additional information
following local fieldwork or research, perhaps making use of the Local Studies section of
the nearest public library.
This work is connected with the idea of ‘local studies’ and local history. If there are layers
on GIS maps, then one additional layer that we can think of adding is one showing
historical change, or accessing older maps.
Finally, students could add some points where they have captured noise levels to explore
the nature of noise within a rural area.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Activity
Introduction
Settlement site and situation.
Start by thinking about a small village that is near to you. It needs to be separated from other urban
areas by a reasonable distance so that it has its own identify. How far from the centre of the city /
town do students have to travel before they are able to do this ? What does this tell you about the
extent of influence of the city (this could be used to refer to ideas such as the sphere of influence, and
also the ‘footprint’ of the urban area)
Bring the Mapstream for Schools maps in at a level which enables the locational context of the village
to be identified. Ideally the village should fill most of the screen when the student looks at the monitor.
e.g. this shows the village of Castle Acre in Norfolk – what you can tell about this village just by
looking at the map ?
Ordnance Survey © Crown Copyright and Database Right 2013.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Use Mapstream for Schools to identify a particular village in your local area that students may have
some previous knowledge of.
Using map evidence only, what can students tell you about the village?
Using the GIS tools available to you, you can then go on to identify some of the following additional
information about the village.
What size is the village?
Use the measuring tools. These are available from the VIEW – MEASURE drop down menu.
How far is the village from the nearest important services? Change the scale on the map as
appropriate to allow you to put it into context with neighbouring settlements.
Finally, what other websites and sources of information would you use to explore this village ‘virtually’
if you couldn’t go there in person?
Some suggested sites to supplement the Ordnance Survey maps, which form the basis for the
investigation:
• Google Maps and Google Street View – http://maps.google.com
• VPike - http://www.vpike.com/ (alternative Google Maps site for school use)
• BBC Domesday Survey website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday
• Geograph – http://www.geograph.org.uk – over 3 million images now uploaded
• Census 2011 - http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/index.html - data will be
released through into 2013
I am going to use the example of Castle Acre, in Norfolk.
What are the main characteristics of the village?
Identify any local newspapers which serve the village. These may be published in nearby towns, so
use the mapping to identify these.
You can also use the Police UK – crime map to explore the extent of crime in the village:
http://www.police.uk/
There are also apps such as the Crime Map app which will overlay information related to crime for a
location, and could be used in conjunction with the mapping.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
You could also explore some of the nearby environmental issues with http://www.checkmyarea.com/
and use a property website to assess the current health of the local property market.
Mapping Issues
Use the Ordnance Survey base mapping and additional information sources to identify some of the
areas where there are changes and issues, and create an overlay which shows points where there
are concerns. These should be symbolised if possible. If there are particular types of threats, it may
be relevant to classify them into groups e.g. noise generation, water pollution, spoiling the view etc.
If fieldwork can be carried out, depending on your school’s location, it would be good to do this. The
map could be then supplemented by suggestions from village residents, who would perhaps have
better ‘local knowledge’. There may also be chances to liaise with feeder primary schools, which
could lead into a joint project, or possibly a transition project for the year groups that are about to
move up to the secondary school phase.
Are there particular areas of the village which may be providing the main causes for concern?
Produce a second overlay to identify these areas of concern. This should be a SHAPEFILE which has
polygons.
When creating a polygon shapefile, you should click in each ‘corner’ of the shape you wish to create,
and right click on the point you want the polygon to end. If you create an unwanted polygon, which is
easy to do, finish creating it, then choose CANCEL when the option to enter its attributes pop-up. Use
the PROPERTIES dialogue to make these polygons transparent so they sit on top of the Ordnance
Survey map.
If a field called LABEL is added when the attribute table is being created, the labels can then be
displayed overlaid on the polygons. Right click on the layer name to open the PROPERTIES
(hopefully you are familiar with this process by now) and choose the LABELS TAB (2nd from the left)
Click in the check box DISPLAY LABELS to ‘open’ the boxes for editing. Choose the field which you
added for the labels: hopefully called LABEL. Choose an appropriate font, size and colour. The
default is to place the labels over the polygons, but their position can be changed.
You can also access a range of symbols to add to the files that you create, and change the way that
points appear.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
This allows for visual assessment of patterns, which could then be confirmed with more sophisticated
GIS analysis.
To change the symbols, right click on the name of any shapefile layer, and choose PROPERTIES.
The default option in the top left of the LAYER PROPERTIES box is ‘Single Symbol’
Click CHANGE bottom left (with the spanner icon) to open the SYMBOL PROPERTIES box
Choose to change the symbol with the drop down box in the top right.
Choose the SVG SYMBOLS option for a wide choice of map-symbol type icons. The size and other
aspects of these features can be altered.
Plenary
Once the map has been created, you should try to make people aware of the issues.
Imagine that you are a ‘village doctor’ and you need to write a prescription to improve the overall
health of the village. What changes do you suggest to reduce the impact of some of the problems
facing the village.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Print out a copy of the map with the problem areas which you could have as a ‘diagnostic’ image. If
you are feeling really creative, it could be printed on a photocopiable acetate and then held up to an
light box as an ‘x-ray’ of the village used to diagnose a problem...
Write a suitable course of treatment out in the form of a completed prescription form.
e.g. One village forum meeting taken three times a year, one community litter-pick taken six times a
year...
Extension Activity
Noise
Fieldwork Activity
Villages are supposed to be quieter than more urban locations. Many people would assume that living
in a village would be more peaceful.
However, noise is still generated by rural activities, and this can come as a shock to people who have
perhaps moved to the countryside expecting it to be quiet. The people who are most likely to complain
are perhaps those who are new to the village life. There have been various stories of people moving
into villages and complaining about the sound of church bells or crowing cockerels, applying for them
to have ASBOs.
A range of stories which you could refer to:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/apr/16/ukcrime - ASBO for a cockerel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-20572854 - silencing church bells
Students should consider what noises are going to be created, either using map evidence.
There will, of course, be traffic noise near to any roads that pass through the village, particularly if
there are roads which connect the village to nearby towns. There may also be some light industry
within the village, or agricultural activity.
Plot the places where particular noises were recorded. You may be able to use a GPS to aid you with
this stage, or an appropriate app on a mobile device.
You should use QGIS (or similar) for this activity when mapping the points.
If you aim to create a point shapefile for the activity, you can use appropriate symbology.
http://mapstream.edina.ac.uk
Going mobile
There are various smartphone apps which will allow you to record sounds and add an extra layer to
the activity.
One of the most useful is the iSAY app. This is available for iPhone and has been
created by the University of Salford
https://itunes.apple.com/app/i-say/id516927213?mt=8
Sounds are added to a map, and mp3 files of sounds that have been shared by anyone can then be
downloaded, allowing the creation of a soundscape.
Another similar app called Widenoise is available for iPhone and Android phones and tablets.
A recording sheet for a noise survey carried out in situ has been provided as part of the materials.
Environmental Survey
An alternative to the noise survey is to carry out an environment survey. A recording sheet has been
provided as part of the materials. (Included at the end of this document)
This is described as a bi-polar analysis as students are asked to carry out an assessment of a range
of factors at a number of different locations.
© EDINA at University of Edinburgh 2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License
LOCATION:
5
4
3
2
LOCATION:
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
5
OPEN SPACE
Large areas of
open space
NOISE
POLLUTION
quiet and
pleasant
sounding
VANDALISM
Non-existent
LIGHTING
Streets brightly
lit, lighting
plentiful
VEGETATION
Ample amounts
of plants & trees
& grass
AIR QUALITY
Pleasant to
breathe, fresh
air
GRAFFITI
Surfaces free of
graffiti
POPULATION
DENSITY
Few people, lots
of space
STREET
FURNITURE
Street benches,
litterbins.
TOTAL SCORE
OPEN SPACE
Buildings very
close together
NOISE
POLLUTION
Loud & irritating
sounds
VANDALISM
Buildings/plants
seriously
damaged due to
vandalism
LIGHTING
No street lights,
dangerous at
night
VEGETATION
Very few trees,
plants, grass etc.
AIR QUALITY
Polluted
atmosphere from
vehicles &
factories
GRAFFITI
Many
buildings/walls
covered in graffiti
POPULATION
DENSITY
Very congested,
lots of
people/cars
STREET
FURNITURE
Insufficient street
furniture, poorly
maintained.
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
OPEN SPACE
Large areas of
open space
NOISE
POLLUTION
quiet and
pleasant
sounding
VANDALISM
Non-existent
LIGHTING
Streets brightly
lit, lighting
plentiful
VEGETATION
Ample amounts
of plants & trees
& grass
AIR QUALITY
Pleasant to
breathe, fresh
air
GRAFFITI
Surfaces free of
graffiti
POPULATION
DENSITY
Few people, lots
of space
STREET
FURNITURE
Street benches,
litterbins.
TOTAL SCORE
OPEN SPACE
Buildings very
close together
NOISE
POLLUTION
Loud & irritating
sounds
VANDALISM
Buildings/plants
seriously
damaged due to
vandalism
LIGHTING
No street lights,
dangerous at
night
VEGETATION
Very few trees,
plants, grass etc.
AIR QUALITY
Polluted
atmosphere from
vehicles &
factories
GRAFFITI
Many
buildings/walls
covered in graffiti
POPULATION
DENSITY
Very congested,
lots of
people/cars
STREET
FURNITURE
Insufficient street
furniture, poorly
maintained.