| Assignment | Session due | Due date |
|---|---|---|
| Complete GitHub Fundamentals | 3 | 9/14 |
| Find spatial data | 3 | 9/14 |
| Read spatial data and make a map with QGIS | 5 | 9/28 |
| Read spatial data and make a map with R and ggplot2 | 5 | 9/28 |
| Compare spatial and geometry operations in QGIS and R | 6 | 10/5 |
| Document a public data set | 6 | 10/5 |
| Tidy tabular address data and geocode with R | 7 | 10/12 |
| Georeference a historic map with QGIS | 8 | 10/19 |
| Complete an exploratory analysis of a public dataset | 9 | 10/26 |
| Make a map using OpenStreetMap data in QGIS or R | 13 | 11/16 |
GES660: Building Spatial Datasets
- Date đź“…
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August 31 – December 7, 2022
- Time ⏰
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Wednesdays, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
- Location đź“Ť
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Janet & Walter Sondheim Hall 001 (Cartography Lab), University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1099 Hilltop Road, Baltimore, MD 21250
This syllabus was updated on September 10, 2022.
About this course
In this course, students will learn how to find, understand, and work with spatial data for research and practice. This course leverages open-source tools, online educational resources, and real-world data from urban environments to help students build a methodological framework for academic and professional work with spatial data now and in the future.
The course explores the process of building and maintaining data sets about local places and prepares students to navigate critical issues including data ownership, the challenges of administrative data, and privacy consideration. Assignments and readings will introduce students to the range of uses for spatial data in planning, public policy, and advocacy around housing, health, transportation, the environment, and more.
Students in the course will learn to work with common file formats (e.g. GeoJSON, GeoPackage) and web services (e.g. FeatureServer, APIs) and how to read, write, document, and share data using QGIS, the R programming language, and various web services.
Schedule overview
Overall, this course is divided into three sections:
| Section | Topics | Sessions/Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started with spatial data | Introduction to using R, sf, and QGIS to work with vector, raster, and tabular data. | 1 (Aug. 31) – 6 (Oct. 5) |
| Building and sharing spatial data | Downloading and manipulating spatial data from Socrata, ArcGIS, OpenStreetMap, and other sources using R. | 7 (Oct. 12) – 12 (Nov. 16) |
| Special topics and final project | Use local data sources related to housing, transportation, community development, or related topics to work on a collaborative data project | 13 (Nov. 23) – 15 (Dec. 7) |
Review the course schedule for a more outline of topics, readings, and activities.
Assignments
The work for this course includes three different activities:
Writing a weekly log in response to assigned readings
Completing lab assignments (primarily using R and QGIS)
Collaborating on a final project using spatial data
Weekly log
Each week students are expected to write a 1-2 paragraph reflection the assigned readings and 1-3 questions related to the technical materials. Each weekly log entry should be committed to the “log” folder as a Markdown (.md) file with a file name corresponding to the session date (e.g. “2021-08-31_log.md”). Weekly logs that are unrelated to the readings or do not include a question will be considered incomplete but may be revised and resubmitted. You are allowed to skip or miss up to four weekly log entries during the course so each entry submitted beyond 10 entries is a bonus point.
Assignments
For each assignment, students will be provided instructions or reference materials to complete a set of objectives. Assignments in R will be submitted as an R script or RMarkdown file committed to the course repository. Assignments in QGIS will typically be documented with a brief written report and an exported map in a PDF format also submitted using the course repository.
Assignments will include a clear list of objectives that must be met to be considered complete. Most assignments may also include a bonus objective that can earn additional points. Each assignment is effectively assigned points on the following scale:
3: Assignment is submitted, complete, and includes a complete bonus assignment
2: Assignment is submitted and complete
1: Assignment is submitted but incomplete
0: Assignment not submitted
Incomplete assignments can be revised and resubmitted for full credit. Assignments submitted more than one day late cannot receive a bonus point. Assignments more than one week late will not be accepted barring exceptional circumstances.
Final project
All students will participate in a final project that can be completed independently or in collaboration with other students in the class. The final project must use local spatial data and/or include the creation of new spatial data about local places. Students will be encouraged to use R and Quarto for the creation of the final project but projects completed using QGIS are also acceptable.
A draft project proposal (1-2 pages in length) must be submitted by November 9. We will review final projects as a group during the final class session on December 7 and all project materials must be submitted in a final format by December 14.
Evaluation of the final project will be based on both self-assessment by the individual student or group and an instructor assessment. The instruction can also offer bonus points in recognition of exceptional work or, if necessary, adjust points awarded through the student self-assessment.
Evaluation
The evaluation of this course is intended to help you focus on completing assignments—not getting them perfect. You can earn up to a total of 50 points in this class through writing at least 10 weekly logs (10 points), all 10 assignments (20 points), and subsmitting a project proposal and a final project (20 points). Completing additional weekly assignments can earn bonus points and most assignments will include 1 or 2 bonus activities.
For the final project proposal, the project proposal may receive partial credit if revisions are required but full credit when a revised proposal is submitted. For the final project, points will be split between the self-assessment and instructor evaluation based on a rubric to be provided later in the semester.
| Activity | Points | Bonus points |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly log | 10 | 4 |
| Assignments | 20 | 10 |
| Project proposal | 8 | 0 |
| Final project | 12 | 4 |
Statements & Policies
Diversity Statement on Respect
Students in this class are encouraged to speak up and participate during class meetings. Because the class will represent a diversity of individual beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences, every member of this class must show respect for every other member of this class.
From California State University, Chico’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Accessibility and Disability Accommodations, Guidance and Resources
Accommodations for students with disabilities are provided for all students with a qualified disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA & ADAAA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act who request and are eligible for accommodations. The Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) is the UMBC department designated to coordinate accommodations that creates equal access for students when barriers to participation exist in University courses, programs, or activities.
If you have a documented disability and need to request academic accommodations in your courses, please refer to the SDS website at sds.umbc.edu for registration information and office procedures.
- SDS email: disAbility@umbc.edu
- SDS phone: 410-455-2459
If you will be using SDS approved accommodations in this class, please contact the instructor to discuss implementation of the accommodations. During remote instruction requirements due to COVID, communication and flexibility will be essential for success.
Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, and Gender Based Violence and Discrimination
UMBC Policy and Federal law (Title IX) prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in University programs and activities. Any student who is impacted by sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, gender-based harassment or retaliation should contact the University’s Title IX Coordinator to make a report and/or access support and resources:
- Morgan Thomas, Acting Director and Title IX Coordinator
- 410-455-1354 (direct line), morganthomas@umbc.edu
You can access support and resources even if you do not want to take any further action. You will not be forced to file a formal complaint or police report. Please be aware that the University may take action on its own if essential to protect the safety of the community.
If you are interested in or thinking about making a report, please use the Online Reporting/Referral Form. Please note that, if you report anonymously, the University’s ability to respond will be limited.
Plagiarism
Copying or using another’s work in written or oral form—partial or complete—without giving credit to the other person is a serious academic offense and is taken very seriously in this class, by the Department and by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. UMBC specifically defines plagiarism as anyone who “knowingly, or by carelessness or negligence, representing as one’s own in any academic exercise the words, ideas, works of art or computer-generated information and images of someone else.”
Any student who plagiarizes will be referred to the Department Chair and will be subject to the policies of the university. In general, the consequences of plagiarism include failing an assignment, receiving a lower course grade, and even failing a course. Examples of plagiarism include:
- Submit someone else’s work as your own.
- Buy a paper from a paper-mill, website or other source.
- Copy sentences, phrases, paragraphs, or ideas from someone else’s work, published or unpublished, without giving the original author credit.
- Replace select words from a passage without giving the original author credit.
- Copy any type of graphics, tables, graphs, maps, or charts from someone else’s work without giving the original author credit.
- Piece together phrases, ideas, and sentences from a variety of sources to write an essay.
- Build on someone else’s idea or phrase without giving the original author credit.
Details about avoiding plagiarism, examples, and disciplinary policies should be reviewed to gain a clear understanding prior to working on an assignment or exam.
COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Compliance Statement
UMBC has set clear expectations for masking while on campus that include the requirement that you must wear a KN95 face mask or equivalent that covers your nose and mouth in all classrooms regardless of your vaccination status. Find more information on masks equivalent to KN95s at https://covid19.umbc.edu/masks/
This is to protect your health and safety as well as the health and safety of your classmates, instructor, and the university community. Anyone attending class without a KN95 mask or wearing one improperly will be asked by the instructor to put on a KN95 mask or fix their mask in the appropriate position. Any student that refuses to comply with this directive will be asked to leave the classroom immediately and failure to do so may result in the instructor requesting the assistance of the University Police. Students who refuse to wear KN95 masks may be referred to Student Conduct and Community Standards and may face disciplinary action for violations of the Code of Student Conduct, specifically, Rule 2: Behavior Which Jeopardizes the Health or Safety of Self or Others and Rule 16: Failure to Comply with the Request of a University Official. UMBC’s on-campus safety protocols, including masking requirements, are subject to change in response to the evolving situation with COVID-19.