Information on the Course Project

Motivation

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. A central objective of the course project is to give you experience doing just that.

The course project is also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to conduct a GIS analysis and effectively communicate its results. And last, but not least, the course project is also a chance to develop a product that you can add to your professional portfolio and share with others during job interviews, etc.

Scope

The above description may make the course project sound momentous and perhaps intimidating, but do keep in mind that it comprises less than 1/5th of your overall grade. Relatively speaking then, it should take just a bit more effort than one of our three major lab projects we do in the first half of the semester.

The key to a good course project is well defined question. Be as exacting as you can with the analyses you propose to tackle as vague topics often lead to inefficient use of time. You are welcome to build off of lab exercises we did in class or venture into new directions your interests lead you. We will have time during the semester to formulate and discuss your project ideas so that we can hone it into something that is realistic given the time allotted to do it.

Choosing a Topic

Choosing a topic for a project can be challenge in and of itself, and choosing poorly can hinder your chances of assembling a solid final product. You may already have a topic in mind, or perhaps not. Either way, the following guidelines may be helpful in getting your project underway and moving forward in a constructive manner.

  1. Consider a topic that interests you. Is there a certain type of analysis, animal, or geographic location that you are particularly interested in? Some ideas will lend themselves to a good project topic more than others, but you are encouraged to pursue something that you are naturally curious about as it will likely be more rewarding.
  2. Be realistic. Choose something that interests you, but don’t go overboard. Consider what you might be able to get done in a week, not a semester. Acknowledge the fact that GIS work often takes longer than planned, and assembling the data required to do your analysis is also a time consuming step –perhaps the most time consuming step in your entire analysis!
  3. Don’t wait until the last moment. If you don’t have at least a vague idea of a project in mind now, start thinking seriously about one. Talk to me or to other faculty members. Poke around the web or the course material. Don’t expect a topic to just fall out of the sky. Sometimes a quick conversation can lead to something that’s both fun and productive. If you do have a topic in mind, you still may need to narrow it down to something you can do in a reasonable time frame. I often see students actually being too ambitious with their projects rather than too simplistic. Either way, it may be quite helpful for you to discuss your topic with me.

Individual vs Team Projects

I am fine with you working solo or as part of a team. It’s your decision. Note, however, that expectations for team projects will be proportional to the number of members on your team (which shouldn’t exceed 4). Furthermore, the entire team will share the same final score.

Format of your deliverables

Project submissions often take the form of a written report - with the standard format as described at the end of this document. However, you are encouraged to explore other media such as an ArcGIS Online StoryMap, Dashboard, or other digital app. In fact, if you decide choose one of the latter, I will certainly take into consideration the time you invest in learning that applying that technology. We had a number of students create StoryMaps last year, and not only did these demonstrate that the technology is relatively easy to grasp, but their final products were generally far more attractive (e.g. to potential employers) than a text report.

Analysis Road Map

Use the following sequence to move you forward in your analysis. Consider how long each step might take and weigh that against how much time you have remaining until the project deadline (). If you find yourself getting stuck at any step – contact me and arrange to chat about it! I am here to help!

  1. Select a topic. It’s ok to start with a vague idea, but narrow in on something actionable as early as possible.
  2. Identify spatial data sources in and around your study area.
  3. Gather non-spatial information about the area: vegetation, history, protection threats, etc, for written document. This can help in narrowing your topic into something actionable.
  4. Gather spatial data (& VIEW IT).
  5. Begin pre-processing (project, reproject, etc.) This may take 80% of your project time!! really.
  6. Choose a (relatively) simple GIS analysis to conduct.
  7. Begin/continue data analysis.
  8. Assemble your deliverable

Write-up guidelines

If you chose to write a report, follow these guidelines:

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 rubric

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.