[up206a - introduction to gis]

Final Project

The final project challenges you to apply mapping and data management skills to spatially analyze a specific planning or policy issue.

You are expected to present your final project during one of the final presentation sessions scheduled during the 10th week of class. During these sessions, you are required to make a 8-10 minute presentation in which you present a poster which details your analysis and explores your planning issue.

Please plan ahead and submit a final project proposal online by Friday, March 3rd.

Final Project Description:

Use the following guidelines to prepare your final project:

Your Central Issue. Organize your final project around a specific planning or policy issue that is of interest to you. Your planning issue should have a spatial component that GIS can help you explore, display and analyze.
Eight Data Elements. Your project should utilize a minimum of eight unique data elements. Data elements include geographic and attribute data as well as new graphic elements (such as a buffer) and labeling. You should vary your types of data elements (as possible) so that your project does not use only boundary or only geographic data. Also, every data element should make some contribution to your project. Basically, don't add non-informative 'background' layers just to have eight data elements.
Original Data. At least one of the eight data elements of your project should be from an original data source. By 'original data' we mean data that was not derived from the census or mgi. Such data can be obtained from various sources such as an agency you are working with, an internet source or your independent research. You could also input original data through processes such as geocoding.
Measurement/Analysis. At least one of your maps should integrate some measure of distance. For instance, you could create a buffer and/or concentric zones, or you could display elements according to their distance from a central feature. You could also use the graphics features of ArcView to add lines or circles which display distance or proximity on your map.
Chart. Although not required, you may include a chart which makes a unique contribution to explaining your poster and planning issue. Charts can be made in ArcView and/or other programs such as Excel.

Requirements:

1) Final project proposal. Talk with one of us about your project and then fill out this form to 'officially' register your project with us. Your proposal should be submitted by the end of Friday, March 3rd.

2) Layouts. You should make a max of five exported images (jpegs) of ArcView layouts, each of which should make a unique contribution to answering your central planning or policy issue. Make sure that your layouts are free of clutter and confusing colors or symbols. Keep captions and titles clear and direct. At least one map should be a descriptive map that provides a general overview of your study area. Your additional screen prints should highlight for us the major points you want us to review when evaluating your project. Screen prints should be posted to your web page by the final presentation sessions in the 10th week of class.

3) Final write-up. This a one page (minimum) write-up should discuss your planning/policy issue, how you decided on the scope/scale of your analysis, the source of your geographic and attribute data, and methodologies used to derive any indices or aggregated fields. Provide a description of your findings and evaluate the usefulness of using GIS to analyze your type of issue. Feel free to comment on the process of attaining and/or manipulating data and any other problems or difficulties you may have encountered.

4) Final presentation. You are required to make a 8-10 minute presentation of your project during the final project session during the 10th week of class. We'll hold this session in a classroom equiped with a labtop and a projector so that you can pull up the screen prints posted to your web page during your presentation. Although not required, if you have hard-copy maps available, you can present them on a poster or pass them around.

Your screen prints and writeup should be posted to your web page by the final presentation sessions during the 10th week of class.

Samples:

Below we provide links to previous final projects:

MWD & Habitat Conservation [By Michele Eskue]

Empowerment Zone and Adult Civic Education [By Katsumi Nonaka]

Health Services Tobacco Control Program of Ventura County [By Mindy Hochgesang]

U.S. Rain Origin & Destination Analysis [By Douglas Miller]

Environmental Sustainability in Peten, Guatemala [By Jill Sourial]