In a land use survey you need to decide if you survey every building or just take a sample. This decision relates to which aspect?

• A. Whether to survey every building or just a sample
• B. The color of the base map
• C. The number of observers
• D. The time of day of surveying

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is choosing between a census and a sample in survey design. Deciding whether to survey every building or just a subset is about how you collect data to represent the whole area. Surveying every building gives complete information for the entire area, but it can take a lot of time and resources. Taking a sample aims to represent the whole area by studying a smaller number of buildings, which saves time and money while providing estimates of land use patterns that are good enough for practical purposes if the sampling is done properly.

The other options don’t address this fundamental design question. The color of the base map doesn’t affect how data are collected. The number of observers relates to consistency and reliability of data but not to whether you survey all units or just a sample. The time of day can influence data quality but again doesn’t determine the choice between a full census and a sample.