When is it due? Wednesday May 1st at 11:59pm
The lab exercises in our class teach you valuable concepts and spatial analysis techniques for conservation and land management, but they don’t quite prepare you for the challenges of gathering data and organizing a spatial analysis on your own. The main objective of the course project is to give you experience doing just that.
By now, you should have selected your project topic whether it be the solar farms, hog lagoons, or another topic that I have approved. What's next is to decide whether you want to work individually or as part of a team, and then to articulate the scope of your project. To this end, please download, fill out, and return this form ProjectTopic.docx - one per individual or team - by Wednesday April 10th. (Email to me when complete...)
As for scope, I strongly recommend that you be as exacting as you can with the analyses you propose to tackle. Vague topics often lead to inefficient use of time. That said, I am happy to continue to help you narrow in on specific questions. If you opt to work as a team, I will expect the scope to be a bit larger (breadth and/or depth) than projects done by individuals.
I have provided "starter maps" via ArcGIS online. I encourage you to continue searching for other data. Feel free to share data in information with other teams. We are not working against each other, but rather together towards some products that will help Liz Kalies and Tanja Vujic. I am also happy to help search for specific datasets you want but are having a tough time finding.
I can also set up shared folders for teams. Just let me know.
First page: Title, Author, Date, Abstract
Abstract. All 761 research projects must contain an abstract. The abstract states the purpose, general experimental design (as appropriate), results, conclusions and significance of the work. It should stand alone (i.e. be intelligible to those who may not have the opportunity to read the entire work). It may not exceed one typewritten page. The recommended length is 250 to 300 words. For help, Google “How to Write an Abstract”
Introduction, includes statement of hypothesis or objective Define the "problem" (i.e. why do we care?) Explicitly state your hypothesis(es) or objectives Cite other studies that you are using as a guide or that recommend methods that you are using (this is one that students tend to overlook!)
Materials and methods Describe your study area What data were used? Software? Assumptions for the analysis? Why are these methods appropriate to your project? What were the general GIS analysis procedures? What were the analytical techniques used? Flow charts may be helpful for multiple step projects.
Results or observations Present results (make sure they address your hypotheses and/or objectives). Summary statistics. Maps (no need to overwhelm with many maps, choose the most important variables to display and also try to combine multiple variables in one map to make a ‘concise map’- first priority of course is clarity and ease of interpretation).
Discussion and conclusion Interpret your findings. Were there any surprises? Recommendations. Limitations of your methods/results. How do your findings compare to those examples you found in the literature? Briefly restate you major findings and why they are important and what areas of further research are needed.
References (literature cited, both ‘gray’ and peer-reviewed)
Acknowledgements (data, advice provided outside of this class)
Appendices (e.g. for analysis portion of your project (not necessary for data maintenance steps such as importing or reprojecting) provide Modeler images)
Page limit: Please try to shoot for < 2000 words (about 10 pages double spaced). Less is better as long as you write carefully and clearly. Papers should be double-spaced and written in a journal manuscript style, which means flow chart, maps/figures and/or tables, should each be on page at the back of the manuscript (i.e. do not try to fit the figures within the body of the text). All figures and tables must be referenced in the text (e.g. Fig 1. Table 2. etc.). Cite all your sources including the software used (e.g. Arc-Map 9.3); details of the citation style are not important, but consistency is. Include acknowledgments for data provided.
Hints:
1) Follow the guidelines closely.
2) Be concise and professional in your choice of language.
3) Read over your paper closely, then the next morning read it over again!
4) Organize how you present things (yes I actually read these!)
Tidbit: Don’t waste a sentence only to present a table or figure e.g.
NO: “Analysis results are presented in Figure 5.”
YES: “Approximately 20% of the study area was characterized as a high conservation priority (Figure 5).”
Grading will be broken into the following categories. For each section, be sure you include all the components listed above.
Overall presentation (15%):
Well organized report. No outstanding blemishes. Does not appear rushed or haphazard. Consistent formatting. Logical flow. Tidy maps and figures. Easy to follow. Includes all elements.
Abstract/Introduction (15%):
Gives context to your analysis and defines the central problem or hypothesis. Alludes to relevant literature. Concise and unambiguous.
Methods (25%):
Describes a workflow that applies appropriate spatial analysis techniques and demonstrates effective use of geospatial analysis. Includes mention of any key assumptions.
Results (20%):
Effective use of maps, tables, and text to concisely and clearly present the key findings related to your analysis.
Discussion (25%):
Surmises and interprets your results in the context of your original hypothesis and the overall problem it addresses. Includes an evaluation of your research and suggests areas where it may be improved.