Reference no: EM132248607 , Length: word count:2500

ASSESSMENT DETAILS: PROJECT REPORT

Description - You will write a report on a project of your own specification, subject to the need, to demonstrate the integration of different types of data obtained from secondary sources that address a defined research question.

The project is designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of techniques of spatial analysis and modelling, and to show initiative in defining and completing a GIS-based project. Your task is to carry out a project that demonstrates the application of GIS and spatial analysis techniques to a problem at the interface between human and physical environments. You should define a relevant research question and identify suitable data sets that can be used in a GIS environment to answer the question. You may use data sets used during the practical sessions or other geospatial data sources (e.g. 2001 and 2011 British Census data from InFuse or topographic data from Digimap Download to perform different analytical techniques. You must ensure your project contains evidence of the application of suitable methods to visualise data, explore data and model data. There is no specified minimum requirement for submission but you are encouraged to be both comprehensive and innovative. You should use the data to answer a particular question (e.g. relating environmental risk to levels of health). You are NOT expected to collect any new data yourself.

Crucially, the first step is to identify a 'research question' and to then go about generating a set of analyses that will allow you to answer the question and better understand the issue you are interested in. For instance, your overall question might be 'are crop yields higher in areas with soils in a certain pH range?' You are therefore interested in the geographical patterns of at least two variables: crop yields and soil pH. You would need to use datasets that reflect these variables and then study them independently and, then, together to provide you with some results which answer your overall question. These analyses might include mapping the variables, exploring their geographical extent and any other patterns (e.g. clustering) and assessing the extent to which high levels in one variable are similarly matched by high variables in another (perhaps by doing some spatial autocorrelation).

Be aware that datasets may need pre-processing before they can be used, or transformation to more suitable units of measurement. Also, be aware that you will not be able to perform all your analysis in GIS software. You may need to export data into Excel or SPSS to perform statistical analyses and then re-import the results into a GIS.

Write-up -

You should write up your project in the form of a report containing ample visual evidence of your geographical analyses and/or modelling techniques with properly prepared maps and graphs and, where appropriate, screen shots illustrating your use of GIS, SPSS and any other pertinent software.

The report should discuss how the techniques that you have applied answer the research question(s) that you defined. Explain the rationale for using the techniques, any special considerations, the appropriateness of the technique for the type of data and also a short interpretation of the results.

You should structure your report in logical scientific style with an introductory background (context), statement of aim and objectives (Possibly hypotheses), methods, result and conclusion.

Be mindful that application of techniques will be assessed in three ways; all of this will be related to your overall stated research question and any objectives you outline to ensure your methods are fit-for purpose.

Length: 2,500 words plus reference list, illustrations, etc.

Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar