Longitudinal Visual Analysis — Tracking Change Through Images Over Time

Longitudinal Visual Analysis (LVA) is a qualitative research design that systematically collects, organises, and interprets visual data — photographs, video, maps, or diagrams — gathered at two or more time points to document change, continuity, or transformation in people, places, or social phenomena. By anchoring analysis to the temporal dimension of images, LVA goes beyond what a single-moment visual study can reveal, making visible patterns of development or decay that are otherwise invisible in a snapshot.