9.9 Chapter Review
9.9.1 Chapter summary
Secondary-data research should begin with a defined information need and end with documented, reproducible evidence. Source quality depends on authority, purpose, coverage, definitions, methods, timeliness, granularity, permission, and citation, while successful integration also requires compatible populations, geography, time periods, and units.
9.9.2 Common mistakes
- beginning with a general web search rather than an information need;
- citing a search result or summary instead of the original source;
- comparing percentages with different denominators;
- using a national benchmark as though it represented a local target;
- ignoring boundary or category changes;
- joining on labels without checking unmatched records;
- presenting projected populations as observed counts; and
- including external facts that do not affect the project.
9.9.4 Exercises
Exercise 1. One source reports that 62 percent of residents participated in recreation during the past year. NVRW reports that 18 percent of residents held a membership at year-end. Can the values be used to estimate NVRW’s market share?
Check Your Work
Not without additional evidence. Annual recreation participation and year-end membership have different numerator definitions. The populations, geographic boundaries, age eligibility, reference periods, and data-collection methods must also be compared. The external percentage may provide context, but it is not automatically a compatible market denominator.
Exercise 2. Build a source log for three real sources that could contextualize NVRW demand: a population source, a municipal planning source, and a recreation-participation source. Record the geography, population, period, method, and intended use.
Check Your Work
Each entry should include the organization and direct source location, title, publication and access dates, geographic coverage, target population, reference period, collection or projection method, revision status, permitted use, and the exact NVRW question it supports. A source is not ready for use if its population, geography, or measure cannot be reconciled with the project.
Exercise 3. Create a crosswalk between the fictional NVRW service areas and a hypothetical census geography. Identify what evidence would be required before aggregating or splitting population values.
One Possible Answer
The crosswalk should list every service area, the contributing census units, overlap type, effective date, and allocation rule. Exact aggregation requires nested boundaries. Splitting a census unit requires defensible weights, such as population counts from smaller geographic units, rather than area alone. Boundary files, coordinate reference systems, vintage, and unmatched areas should be documented.
Exercise 4. Critique this statement: “The West Valley population is projected to grow, so Westbrook visits will grow by the same percentage.” Rewrite it as a defensible conditional projection statement.
One Possible Answer
If the relevant West Valley population changes as projected and the visit utilization rate, service boundaries, access conditions, and recording definitions remain constant, Westbrook visits would be expected to change proportionally. This is a utilization-based projection under stated assumptions, not a guaranteed forecast.