In Geog 585, you are expected to create a term project that takes some data of interest to you and fuses it into a useful web map. The term project can be simple and focused in nature, but must include:
In creating your term project, you should use at least one tool or technique that was not covered in the course materials. This could, for instance, be a tool for (pre)processing the data or a Leaflet class or method. You don't have to know this part when you make the proposal, but as you work through the different exercises in the course you should stay aware of additional functions you could incorporate to meet this requirement.
The project must be built entirely with FOSS. This requirement is not in place to make you a FOSS "purist"; rather, it is intended to compel you to fully practice the skills you have learned in this course and discover new ways of doing things. If there's some piece of your project data processing that you don't think can be completed with FOSS, please discuss it with the instructor.
There are three parts to the term project submission:
The requirements of the submission are described in detail below. Please see the term project grading rubric on Canvas to understand exactly how these requirements will be evaluated.
To share your project with the instructor and others, you will create an online screen recording "video" explaining the purpose of the project and giving a tour of its functionality. In under 5 minutes the video must cover the following:
It is expected that the video will just record the screen (you don't need to appear on camera). There are many alternatives to produce the video including free screen recording software and services. A free option that worked well in the past is Screencast-O-Matic (screencast-o-matic.com) which requires you to run a small program on your computer. The recorded video can be stored as a .mp4 file or it can be shared via their web site. Alternatively, if you have access to professional screen recording software such as Captivate, Camtasia, Fraps, etc., you may use it. Much of this software is available for free trial periods. An option for Mac users is to use QuickTime; there are descriptions of how to do this out there on the web. For sharing your video, you can also upload it to your PASS space or use any other file sharing service, for instance dropbox.com.
It's strongly recommended that you reserve at least a day or two for creation of the video. This will allow you to accommodate any unforeseen technical challenges and do multiple "takes" if necessary. Things will go more smoothly if you prepare a script or outline of things you want to show, and refer to this during the video recording.
The video is due Sunday evening before the course end date. To submit the video, follow the description on the Term project submission and mini conference page [1].
Please also submit a 500+ word writeup recapping:
Please submit all the source code for your project with your writeup. You can paste the code into the writeup or just zip the original HTML and JavaScript files together with your writeup.
The writeup should follow professional writing and grammar conventions and should be spell checked. The writeup and code are due in the term project drop box by the course end date.
Tip: If you complete the writeup before you do your video narration, the words may come more easily when you are "on camera".
The project will no doubt be a learning experience for you, but there is also plenty to learn from other students' experiences and submissions. During the final three days of the course (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), take some time on the "Term project video & review forum" on Canvas to browse other submissions. Select two projects of interest to you and, with each, post a brief review as a reply. Your review should include:
These reviews are due by the course end date.
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog585/743