When most people think of field work, they often think of surveying.
Surveying can involve activities such as asking people questions during structured interviews.
It can also mean that someone is simply looking around, taking stock of what she or he sees on the landscape. In its most common useage, however, and certainly the one most akin to geographic field work, it means mapping with sophisticated and complex instruments. The profession of surveying involves people with highly developed skills and expertise. Members who earn a living conducting cadastral surveys for the general public have to be licensed by the state. On one hand, it has all been rather elementary.