NCSU GIS/MEA582:
Geospatial Modeling and Analysis

Course logistics

Software

GRASS GIS

• Free and open source package GRASS GIS (official website)
• Microsoft Windows:
  • use the stand-alone installer package GRASS GIS 8.3.0.
  • If you have some problems see Troubleshooting GRASS on Windows wiki page
  • You may need to install IrfanView to view TIFF images saved from the 3D view. Alternatively, you can just take screenshots of the 3D visualization.
• macOS:
  • Download GRASS GIS 8.3.0 binaries from GRASS GIS for Mac website and follow their instructions about running it from /Applications folder and about first time opening GRASS.
• Linux:
  • GRASS GIS packages are available in software repositories
• Online:
  • For NCSU students, GRASS GIS is available in NCSU VCL OSGeo Live and ArcGIS Desktop/Pro environments (both contain also QGIS). The recommended image for the class is ArcGIS Pro 2.2, although it contains a slightly outdated version of GRASS GIS.
• use available resources to learn about GRASS GIS
  • use GRASS GIS Quickstart to learn how to get started
  • use GRASS GIS 8.3.0 Reference Manual to access Introductions and Manuals for GRASS GIS tools
  • see also Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach book which is available in printed and electronic form in NCSU libraries. It was written for GRASS6 but covers most of the assignments
  • 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)
  • explore various freely available video tutorials GRASS 8.0 Tutorials or on GRASS GIS User wiki
  • or just learn when doing the first GRASS GIS assignment

ArcGIS

• ArcGIS Pro - Request AGOL account and download latest ArcGIS Pro software from the NCSU Software Licensing Management page (NCSU students only, read the licensing conditions)
• Use ESRI Academy (Formerly ESRI virtual campus), available at NCSU, to learn the software
• Use help pages to understand tools and their options

Data

Download:

• Sample GRASS GIS dataset:
  • Start GRASS GIS. In the data management window, click the icon Download sample location to current database and select Complete NC location, click Download, close when finished. You should see a location nc_spm_08_grass7 in your database. See also GRASS Quickstart and Screen capture for MS Windows
  • If using GRASS GIS version < 8.0: Create a grassdata directory, e.g. C:\Users\myname\Documents\grassdata. Start GRASS GIS. In the Startup window, under the Location section, press Download, select Complete NC location, press Download, close when finished.
  • Alternatively, you can download and unzip nc_spm_08_grass7 into the grassdata directory and then start GRASS GIS - you should see the dataset in the Data catalog. In this case it is important to make sure that your unziping software does not create additional directory with the same name, e.g. on MS Windows make sure that you do not get nc_spm_08_grass7\nc_spm_08_grass7.
  • The same dataset is provided during installation of GRASS GIS on MS Windows under the name North_Carolina.

• Sample ArcGIS Pro geodatabase gdbs.zip
• Create arcdata directory e.g. C:\Users\myname\Documents\arcdata
• After downloading, unpack ArcGIS geodatabase into arcdata directory

How to Write an Issue Report

Please use the following template when submitting software specific issues.

• Subject/Title
• Short description of the issue

• Describe the Bug
• A clear and concise description of wht the bug is.

• To Reproduce

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Go to '...'
2. Click on '....'
3. Scroll down to '....'
4. See error

• Expected Behavior
• A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.

• Screenshots or Video
• If applicable, add screenshots or video to help explain your problem.

• System Description

Please complete the following information:

• OS: [e.g. Windows 10, macOS 10.15, Ubuntu 20.04]
• GRASS GIS version or ArcPro version: [e.g. 8.3.0, 2.8.3]

• Additional Context

Add any other context about the problem here.

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, importance, motivation
  2. Methods: 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 ArcGIS and GRASS GIS 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: images, 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.
  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 where appropriate
• Please read detailed Report guide created specifically for this class.
• Sample paper formatting for MS Word (DOCX), LibreOffice (ODT) (view online in rollApp), and LaTeX (open online in Overleaf; register using NCSU email). 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 written in a style suitable for scientific publication. To learn more about the structure of a scientific paper please read the first 10 pages of this document about the Publishing process

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.