NCSU GIS/MEA582:
Geospatial Modeling and Analysis

Course logistics

Course web site and Moodle

• Distance Education material is organized under Schedule
• Grades are posted on Moodle
• Get help by posting on the Moodle forum

Lectures

• Focus of lectures is on principles, theory, concepts, methods and lectures are mostly software independent.
• Slides and screen captures with audio are available at the lectures page.
• Reading references and links to on-line material are included on the lectures page.

Software

GRASS GIS

• Free and open source package GRASS GIS 7.0 (official website)
• MS Windows 8+ (or Windows 7):
  • use the stand-alone installer package WinGRASS-7.0.2-1-Setup.exe, alternatively, if you are a more advanced user, you can explore other available versions
  • If you have some problems see Troubleshooting GRASS on Windows wiki page
  • You may need to install IrfanView to view TIFF images saved by the 3D visualization module. Alternatively, you can just take screenshots of the 3D visualization.
• Mac OS X 10.7+:
  • download and install required frameworks and GRASS GIS 7.0 (start with the frameworks and then install GRASS GIS)
• Linux:
  • GRASS 7.0 packages are available in software repositories
• use available resources to learn about GRASS GIS
  • use wxGUI help page to learn how to work with the software using graphical user interface (GUI)
  • use modules' manual pages to understand modules and their options
  • see also Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach book (aka GRASS book) which is available in printed and electronic form in NCSU libraries
  • if you already know ArcGIS, you may want to have a look at Terminology comparison between ArcGIS and GRASS GIS and GRASS GIS for ArcGIS users wiki pages (feel free to edit them)
  • feel free to explore various freely available video tutorials on Youtube or on GRASS GIS User wiki
  • or just learn when doing the first GRASS GIS assignment

ArcGIS

• Proprietary package ArcGIS version 10.2 (or higher):
  • NCSU Software Licensing Management page
  • NCSU VCL
• use ESRI virtual campus, available at NCSU, to learn the software
• use help pages to understand modules and their options

Assignments

Report

• For each topic (as indicated in the schedule) you will submit a brief paper with min. 800 word text and 2 or more pages of graphics
• Required paper sections:
  1. Introduction: task, problem, background
  2. Approach: general description of methods and concepts, do not repeat instructions and do not discuss software issues here - this section should be software independent, common for both Arc and GRASS and equations for methods should be included where appropriate. In this section you should demonstrate that for the given step-by-step instructions your were able to explain what methods are being used to solve the given problem
  3. Results: maps, graphs, tables with comments, focus on what is interesting in the data and the derived maps, how does the method used influence the results. Include answers to questions in this section. Post 4-6 images per page.
  4. Discussion: was there anything unexpected or problematic in the results? Were there any issues related to the methdology? Also discuss the software issues, including fixes and suggestions for improvements here.
  5. Conclusion: 1-2 sentences what you have learned
  6. References
• Sample paper formatting for MS Word and LaTeX (open in Overleaf). Do not use the text from this example, it is for formatting only! Note that the submitted report should be in PDF, use naming convention LastnameFirstname_HW#.pdf.
• You can find some helpful hints from past semesters in Comments/answers to HW questions.
• Upload your assignment papers on Moodle site according to the instructions below.
• Although the HW papers are short they should be in a writing style suitable for scientific publications. You can learn more about scientific publishing in Elsevier instructions. Please also read the first 10 pages on Publishing process which explains a structure of a scientific paper.
• For additional suggestions, please read detailed Report guide created specifically for this class.

Moodle

You will also use Moodle to post your project proposal, interim report, presentation and a final paper as well as any additional material that you would like to share (videos, demos, data, google maps).

Project

Grading and Policies

Don’t cheat (e.g. use other person’s results), but you are encouraged to collaborate and help each other with advice, for example, through the message board.