The joy of geography: Fieldwork in research, teaching, and collaboration

Abstract

In the field, geographers engage directly with natural and human environments. In this discussion article, I argue that the discipline of geography fundamentally relies on fieldwork in research, teaching, and collaboration. I defend the value of field data in an era of abundant digital data, as modern geography needs both. I discuss why and how fieldwork is essential for producing, learning, and sharing scientific knowledge, illustrating this with recent examples from physical geography. In many ways, fieldwork forms the foundation of geographic knowledge because 1) field observations and explorations reveal what questions to investigate, not just what to measure 2) fieldwork bridges abstract concepts and reality, and 3) sharing field data enables collecting spatially extensive, temporally extensive, and scientifically comprehensive knowledge that would not otherwise exist. While these points may appear self-evident to many, this article serves as a reminder for those moments when the value of fieldwork is questioned, and the required time, money, and effort appear excessive for collecting field data.