Project Proposal
The purpose of your project is to
give you the experience of working through all the steps required to complete a
"real world" type of GIS project. For this project, the following
criteria must be met:
* Define the purpose of your project
* Collect all necessary spatial and non-spatial data necessary for your
project. You must have at least five (5) spatial variables (layers)
directly related to your analysis
* Perform spatial analysis using ArcGIS 9.2 software. Other software
may be used as necessary.
* Make a formal presentation
to the class of your project’s purpose, methodology and results (preferably
using Microsoft PowerPoint). You may use ArcCatalog or ArcMap in your
presentation as well.
* Submit a 3 to 5 page written
report describing the project's objective, data collection methods, data
you used, analysis procedures, your final results and findings, and a
conclusion that describes how/why GIS was useful to reach your results. If
appropriate, include a description of alternate methods that make have been
undertaken if you had more time or other data available, or how your work may
be continued or extended. Please be concise and to the point (and remember to
check your spelling and grammar!). You can use as a guide the slides titled
"GIS Project Design" a guide/outline in writing your report.
The report should include the following maps:
- A map of each layer included in your
analysis
- Maps showing any intermediate process steps
- A map/maps showing the final results of your
analysis
Each map layout must include an appropriate title, a legend
with English-like layer and item names (not layer and field names as they exist
on disk), scale bar and/or scale text, source text, and your name and date.
Reference layers such as roads (with street names and/or route shields), town
boundaries, lakes and rivers, etc., should appear where appropriate, as should
index or locator inset maps.
* Submit a softcopy of your
report with your maps in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. You may also
opt to create a web page with your report and maps (using your own non-UMB-hosted site).
* Submit data that you developed and results of your analysis in an ESRI Personal or File Geodatabase. (Data developed or stored in ArcSDE or as shapefiles during your processing will need to be exported to a Personal or File GDB.)
* Create metadata in ArcCatalog for the final analysis results layer(s), filling in the Abstract, Purpose, and Citation (an "English" title) sections. The Abstract section can include a brief description of how and why the layer was produced (you can copy/paste text from your report). Metadata is not required for intermediate layers or data you downloaded or received from MassGIS or another site.
** Final report and data are due on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 **
Step
1 - Conceptual Model
Decide
on your project topic. Your topic can focus on any application area of
GIS - the environment, business, health care, transportation, education, etc.
If you have trouble coming up with a topic let me know.
Decide
on your area of interest. It does not have to be in
For Wednesday,
February 13, 2008, prepare a one-page written proposal, which will
describe the problem you plan to solve or question(s) you want to answer using
GIS. Include in your proposal a list of data you may hope to collect or use
(some may be available in the lab, in ArcSDE) and how you will use these layers
in your analysis.