Project

Throughout this course we will learn about various types of spatial data, where to acquire data and how to process and analyze remote sensed data. The final project is the culmination of this course and will put to use the geospatial skills you have learned throughout the semester. This is also a chance for you to investigate a topic of your choice.

General Information

The project will be similar to some of the labs you have completed but with a topic of your choosing. The primary guideline for the project is that you must use remote sensing to analyze changes over time in a location of your choice. As part of the project you will be required to acquire and process a minimum of two data sets (for two different time periods) for the same geographic locations. You will then process the data and conduct an analysis using some of the techniques we learned in this class.

Projects are individual and the final product will be a report that is due during finals week. You will be graded both on your data acquisition, processing and analysis as well as the content and quality of your final report. We will start working on the projects in the second half of the semester, but you should start thinking about possible topics early on.

Project Deliverables

Project Proposal

Your propose should define the topic of your project, the data you'll be using, and the analysis methods you'll use. The proposal will be due approximately midway through the semester. This will allow me to evaluate if the project is feasible, meets the requirements of the class and to provide you feedback.

Final Report

You will prepare a professional style final report to deliver the results of you final project.
More Information

Data Submission

In addition to the report you will also need to submit your data. You will submit both your processed data and the analysis files generated as part of your project.
More Information

Final Project Guidelines

Your final project will use remote sensing to analyze changes over time in a location of your choice. As part of the project you will be required to acquire and process a minimum of two data sets (for two different time periods) for the same geographic location. You will then conduct an analysis using the techniques we learned in this class to examine the changes in the landscape. The culmination of the project will be a complete report detailing the outcome of your project. You will be graded both on your data acquisition, processing and analysis as well as the content and quality of your final report.

Workflow

Acquire Data

You will acquire remote sensed data. For this project I suggest you use Landsat data (Level 1 or Surface Reflectance Data), NAIP Images and Aerial photographs. You will need to download a minimum of two data sets for the same geographic location for two different time periods. If you want to use other data than what is listed above please consult with me. You may also want to acquire other geospatial data like DEMs, shapefiles, or tabular data.

Pre-Process Data

The level of pre-processing will depend of the data you are using. This can include Radiometric Calibration & Atmospheric Correction (for Landsat Level 1 Data), Layer Stacking (for Landsat Surface Reflectance Data), Georeferencing, Mosaicking and Pansharpening.

Subset/Mosaic Data

After processing you should subset your data to focus on your region of interest. You can subset by creating your own Region of Interest (ROI) or using a vector file. If you are using NAIP files you may need to mosaic the file

Analyze Data

You might analyze your data by digitizing features like glaciers or water bodies. You can also use indices like NDVI or NBR to look at vegetation health or fire severity. Other analysis approaches include conducting a classification or some form of raster analysis.

Interpret Results

Your final report needs to include quantitative results. You will need to interpret and quantify your results . Here are some possible examples:

Calculate and compare changes in area. This can be done manually (digitizing features) or using classification or raster analysis.
Examples include: Compare changing area of land cover classes, lake surface or snow surface area change. Burn severity class area.
Compute changes in distance to things like track shoreline erosion, glacier retreat etc.
Compare index (NDVI, NBR) values by calculating a "difference" layer, or using sampling points. Can also create difference classes, i.e. decrease in NDVI, no change, increase in NDVI and compare area and extent of classes.

Final Report and Data Submission

The final report will be submitted through Moodle. Your final report should be in 12 point font, include your name, project title and headings for the applicable sections. To receive full points for the final report you will need to include each of the below sections in your report. Report sections should be complete, clearly written in a professional style, and free of spelling and grammar errors. Your report should include the following sections:

Introduction

The introduction should describe the purpose of the project and provide some background for the content of the report. The introduction should include the following:

Objective: Describe and discuss the research question you seek to explore. Explain what questions you hope to answer and why these particular questions are of interest.

Background Information: Provide background information and context for your project. Be sure to include a description of your study area and why the topic is relevant. You may also want to include a site or locator map showing the area of interest. Remember to cite include all of the relevant references and include these in the Reference/Literature Cited section at the end of your report.

Methods

Describe the data used in your analysis (sensor, resolution, etc.) and how the data was obtained/collected. Discuss the processing and analysis techniques you used for your project.

Results

Present the results of your analysis, this should include a presentation of the results in text, figures and tables. This section should include quantitative results (e.g. the total area or change in area of what you are studying, burn severity by area, etc.). You should include figures showing your image analysis (e.g. figure showing the classified images). Tables and/or graphs should be used to display quantitative results. Be sure to include titles and captions for tables and figures.

Discussion and Conclusion

Discuss and interpret your results in the context of the project background. Did the results of your study agree with your initial expectations or other studies? Include recommendations for future studies and how your analysis could be improved or what you would do differently next time.

References

Include a reference/literature cited section at the end of your report. Citations should have a standardized format (i.e. MLA) and should be cited in the body of the report. You should have a minimum of two references, at least one of the references should be a technical, scientific or government resource.

In addition to your written report, you will also need to submit file folder containing your data products. You will submit this as a ZIP file through Google Drive. Make sure to name your folder your HSU user ID (e.g. ABC123). Your file folder should contain: