What is a common limitation of secondary geographic data?

• A. It is always perfectly aligned with current research questions.
• B. It cannot be reused in other studies.
• C. It may be outdated or not aligned with current research questions.
• D. It contains complete metadata that avoids bias.

Answer: (C)

Secondary geographic data come from sources not created for your specific study, so a key limitation is that they may not match current research questions or conditions. Over time, features change and boundaries shift, meaning older data can be outdated or misaligned with what you’re trying to investigate today. This requires careful checks of when the data were collected, how they were classified, and how well they fit your study’s scope, then possibly harmonizing formats and scales. While reuse is a strength of secondary data and metadata quality isn’t guaranteed, the most common practical issue you’ll encounter is its potential mismatch with present questions or conditions.