NCSU GIS/MEA582:
Geospatial Modeling and Analysis

Course Policies and Logistics

Instructors and Communication

Use the Moodle forum for anything about assignments, software, or data, since the answer usually helps more than one person. Use email for anything personal or time sensitive, and put GIS582 in the subject line.

Course Website and Moodle

To manage your HW reports and project material we will use Moodle. Upload your HW report as PDF file LastnameFirstname_HW#.pdf (for example SmithJohn_HW3.pdf) on Moodle site by 11pm on the due date.

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).

Moodle Forums are set up to introduce yourself, post your questions about assignments and discuss your projects.

Grading

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 and equations for methods should be included where appropriate. In this section you should demonstrate that for the given step-by-step instructions you 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 methodology? 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 above.
• Although the HW papers are short they should be written in a style suitable for scientific publication.

Project

Software

GRASS

• Free and open source package GRASS (official website)
• Microsoft Windows:
  • use the stand-alone installer package GRASS 8.5.0.
• macOS:
  • Download GRASS 8.5.0 binaries from GRASS for Mac website and follow their instructions about running it from /Applications folder and about first time opening GRASS.
• Linux:
  • GRASS packages are available in software repositories
• use available resources to learn about GRASS
  • find GRASS tutorial for a topic you want to learn about
  • use GRASS Quickstart to learn how to get started
  • use GRASS 8.5.0 Reference Manual to access Introductions and Manuals for GRASS tools
  • follow Geospatial Modeling with GRASS 8.4.0 videos for assignments in GIS582
  • 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
  • explore various freely available video tutorials GRASS 8.0 Tutorials
  • or just learn when doing the first GRASS 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

How to Write an Issue(bug) 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 what 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 version or ArcPro version: [e.g. 8.5.0, 2.8.3]

• Additional Context

Add any other context about the problem here.

Data

• Sample GRASS dataset:
  • The dataset is provided during installation of GRASS on MS Windows under the name North_Carolina.
  • If you don't have it, start GRASS. In the data management window, click the icon Download sample project to current database and select Complete North Carolina dataset, click Download, close when finished. You should see a project nc_spm_08_grass7 in your database. See also GRASS Quickstart and Screen capture for MS Windows
  • Alternatively, you can download and unzip nc_spm_08_grass7 into the grassdata directory and then start GRASS - 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.

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

Attendance

Academic Integrity

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.

Use of Large Language Models

Students are also to be aware that the use of LLMs in this course is not a substitute for learning the material. Assignments and projects must be properly cited and contain no plagiarized materials.

Accommodations

Student Support

• Counseling Center
• Academic Success Center
• Pack Essentials for food, housing, and financial support
• NC State Libraries
• OIT Help Desk for computing problems

Course Evaluations

Changes to This Document