GLG410--Computers in Earth and Space Exploration


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Final Project Guidelines

Primary goal: The goal of the term project is to provide you with an opportunity to research a specific topic, develop your own ideas about that topic and analyze them using tools and approach learned in class, and simply present the ideas.

Overview: The project must make use of both MATLAB and ArcGIS (you can use Excel if you need it). It is on a topic of your choosing and interest. It should be very focused and can be part of a larger project (possibly augmenting something for another class, but the work must be distinct for proper grading).

What to turn in: As you have for your prior assignments, please build a web site for this class with the presentation (Powerpoint--see below), the well documented Matlab script(s) and function(s), and your well organized Arc project file (MXD) (if appropriate). You should include a detailed listing of the data that you used, a description of those data, and the source of the data. You do not have to actually link the data files (given their likely size).

The presentation: This project will be presented as a Powerpoint file (with proper consideration of Tufte's ideas). It will be a dense presentation with no more than 10 slides and should cover:

  1. The research problem and why it is important.
  2. What data and methods you used and why they are appropriate.
  3. The results of your study and how they answer the research problem.
  4. A brief statement on future work.
You will make your presentation using video recording software as I have used in this class to prepare the tutorials. etc. It will be done using the Camtasia Software Free trial to a Windows or Mac machine. But note that the Free trial is only good for 30 days, so don't start yet!!!.

What is due when:
Wednesday, November 4 at noon: send a short email to ramon.arrowsmith@asu.edu and apschrei@asu.edu proposing the project with one sentence each for 1) the research problem and why it is important, 2) what data and methods you used and why they are appropriate, and 3) the expected results. We will give you quick feedback to help you get going. Assume that your proposal is good and get to work. 25 points
Monday, December 7 at noon: all of the materials must be on line on your web site. We will not meet for the final exam. You are to upload your MP4 file of the video explanation of your presentation. It must be less than 10 minutes long. We will give you an assignment to test that the software is working.

--> Grading: Your term project will be graded on clarity; organization; use of MATLAB and ArcGIS; figures and illustrations; documentation of your code, MXD, and data files; and your presentation. 150 points


Last modified: October 7, 2015