Course Project Evaluation

ENV 859 - Geospatial Data Analytics   |   Fall 2024   |   Instructor: John Fay  

Course project take a variety of formats. Below I outline the more common formats, what I’m looking for in each, and how they should be submitted. These take the form of (1) an ArcGIS Pro based tool, (2) a Jupyter Notebook, or (3) an ArcGIS Online application (e.g. StoryMap, Insights page, Dashboard, etc.). Other formats are acceptable, but you should discuss them with me so that we are all clear on what’s expected and how best to submit your project.

First a few notes that apply to all projects.

  • First, each year I see some students slip into a panic about getting an amazing course project submitted before the deadline. If you feel the onset of such a panic, if you feel the project is stalling or you’ve lost focus, please reach out. Sometimes just talking things through can reignite your motivation.
  • Along those lines, do remind yourself that your final submission grade comprises a little more than half as many points as a single problem set. Submit something showing a modicum of effort and creativity and you’ll earn a grade that won’t tank your overall course grade.
  • Furthermore, if you do feel like the technology or your ability to use the technology is not going to answer the question you had originally hoped to, it’s worth while – and actually useful – to include some documentation of what you had hoped to do, where you fell short, and thoughts on how you might fix that if given more time. Or you could include a post mortem of how your initial designs fell short, and perhaps your understanding of things wasn’t quite on point. (Sometimes showing you’ve learned from mistakes is as meaningful as showing you’ve mastered something the first go around…)
  • And lastly, try to have some fun with this. You have a box of new tools to play with. Show me what you can do with them!

Rubrics:

ArcGIS Pro Based Tool Jupyter Notebooks Dashboard/AGOL Application

♦ArcGIS Pro Based Tool♦

If your project is an ArcGIS Pro based tool, i.e., some interactive analysis, data visualization, or other geospatial workflow, then your project should be submitted as a complete, organized, and tidy GIS workspace.

General Guidelines

Think about your audience in your submission. Is it something you’d like to see if you were to download and execute the analysis? Does it appear professional and work on the first try? A simple, robust, and easy to use tool usually gets a better score than something perhaps more ambitious that appears rushed or sloppy and requires a good degree of finesse and intervention to work or understand.

I am looking for your ability to synthesize class topics and apply them to a specific scenario. I’m less concerned about the reality or applicability of your actual workflow and more interested in your ability to construct and smoothly execute a tidy workflow.

Rubric

Overall Presentation & Organization (25%)

  • ArcGIS Pro Project opens smoothly, without error or missing data
  • Map layers are thoughtfully named and symbolized
  • Files are thoughtfully named and symbolized
  • Extraneous files are removed
  • Materials are located in intuitive locations, uses familiar workspace structure
  • Workspace does not appear rushed or sloppy

Documentation (10%)

  • Workspace readme file is included in the workspace’s root folder
    • This includes only basic information used to identify your workspace, its author, and the date
  • Adequate documentation is provided for your tool
    • This should include enough information for me to properly replicate your analysis.
    • Assume the user has familiarity with GIS & topic, but not of how to use your tool.
    • No need to include extensive background on your tool’s relevance, but enough context to understand the purpose and logic of your tool may be helpful.
    • This documentation can take the form of a Word doc or PDF in your workspace’s “docs” folder, not the readme file.
  • All geoprocessing tools should have in-line documentation. Each input should be described.
  • Scripts should have ample comments, allowing others to follow the logic

Implementation/Ease of use (50%)

  • All geoprocessing workflows should execute the analysis smoothly, logically, & without error.
  • The workflows should simplify the analysis as much as practical.
  • Provide a sample dataset to run through an example.
  • Relative paths used so that all datasets are found easily in tools/code

Creativity/Complexity (15%)

  • The degree of complexity will be taken into account.
  • Address a unique question and add value beyond what the software provides.
  • Incorporate concepts used in class in your analysis.

How to Submit

  • Zip up your entire workspace and submit the zipped file to Sakai.
  • If your zipped file is too large, you can leave the zipped file on your V: drive, or upload it to a Box drive or other networked share for me to download. However, if you chose the latter, be absolutely sure that I can download it without hassle, particularly if you will be out of contact while I’m grading your project.

♦Jupyter Notebooks♦

If your project is a Jupyter Notebook, or a set of Jupyter Notebooks, your submission should include the notebook(s) as well as any data required to successfully run it from start to finish.

General Guidelines

The magic of Jupyter Notebooks is that they present your work in a fully transparent and reproducible format. Your audience may or may not understand the coding portions of your notebook(s), but they should be able to follow the major analytical steps involved, as well as their assumptions and their outputs. You should fully leverage Jupyter’s markdown format to walk the reader through your analysis. Always consider your audience in what you submit; perhaps consider sending this notebook to your advisor or client: would they be able to follow its logic without distraction from over complexity?

As with ArcGIS Pro based projects, I will be looking for your ability to synthesize class topics and apply them to a specific scenario. A simple, clearly articulated workflow will likely score better than a hard to follow, poorly presented submission, even if it is crammed with all kinds of complex analyses.

Rubric

Overall Presentation & Organization (25%)

  • File workspace is tidy with files named logically
  • Materials are located in intuitive locations, uses a logical file structure
  • Extraneous files/outputs are removed
  • Workspace does not appear rushed or sloppy

Documentation (10%)

  • Your notebook(s) should include ample markdown cells making full use of text formatting.
  • Each notebook should state, briefly, its objective and any important items needed to execute the analysis.
    • This should include enough information for me to properly replicate your analysis.
    • Assume the user has familiarity with GIS & topic.
    • No need to include extensive background on your work’s relevance, but enough context to understand the purpose and logic of your analysis may be helpful.
  • Code should have ample comments, allowing others to follow the logic.

Implementation/Ease of use (50%)

  • All code cells should execute smoothly, logically, & without error.
  • The overall workflows should simplify the analysis as much as practical.
  • Include a sample dataset to run through an example.
  • Relative paths should be used so that all datasets are found easily in tools/code wherever the workspace is put

Creativity/Complexity (15%)

  • The degree of complexity will be taken into account.
  • Address a unique question and add value beyond what the software provides.
  • Incorporate concepts used in class in your analysis.

How to Submit

  • Zip up your entire workspace and submit the zipped file to Sakai.
  • If your zipped file is too large, you can leave the zipped file on your V: drive, or upload it to a Box drive or other networked share for me to download. However, if you chose the latter, be absolutely sure that I can download it without hassle, particularly if you will be out of contact while I’m grading your project.

- OR -

  • If you wish to submit your workspace as a GitHub repository, submit the link to your repo to Sakai.

♦Dashboard/AGOL Application♦

If your project is an ArcGIS Online Application, I will not likely have access to it from a developer’s perspective - only from a client’s perspective. You must therefore be certain that the links you provide to your final products can be accessed outside of your personal AGOL account.

General Guidelines

The emphasis on these projects is on your ability to engage new technology in a useful and innovative way. We did not cover StoryMaps, Insights, or Dashboards at any length in class, so your objective here is to demonstrate your abilities to master these on-line platforms.

Rubric

Overall Presentation & Organization (30%)

  • The material is easily accessible via link or other easy to follow instructions.
  • The material communicates its message(s) effectively. It’s clear what your results show or were meant to show.
  • The material does not appear rushed or sloppy; it has a professional appeal.

Integration of Technology (45%)

  • The project makes effective use of the technology applied.
    • For example, did you include a table when a plot make much more sense?
    • If you are submitting a StoryMap, does it make use of a StoryMap’s unique capabilities?
  • The project demonstrates proficiency of in the technologies used.
    • Where you able to apply the basic capabilities of the technology?
  • If your product fell short of your expectations, articulate the limitations you encountered

Creativity/Complexity (25%)

  • Is there a “wow” factor in your final product?
  • Did you explore the more sophisticated elements of your platform?

How to Submit

  • Submit a Word document or PDF with simple instruction on how to access your materials and suggestions on what to explore. You might also want to include any notes on particular challenges you faced or discoveries you made in learning the technology.