ABSTRACT
Field research is the process of learning about a community, neighborhood, or environs through firsthand observations. Field research requires the investigator to have a purposeful strategy before going out to the study site. Field research strategies are commonly divided into three types: nonparticipant observation, participant observation, and full participant observation. Both windshield survey research and site reconnaissance investigations take the same experiential approach to field research, albeit at different scales. Windshield survey investigations will gather more macro-level observations that are better recorded with written or oral impressions, visual documentation, detailed maps with annotations, or tabulations. The analysis of data collected during a windshield survey or site reconnaissance usually falls into one of three empirical observations: significance, trends and themes, and discrepancies. Most commonly, the data is organized according to one or a combination of three ways: statistical frequency, mapping, and detailed descriptions. The tablet PC is great for accessing information, recording data, and performing integrative analysis.
