GEOG 858
Spatial Data Science for Emergency Management

Term Project - Research

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This week, I will be evaluating the abstracts you developed last week. While I do that, I encourage you to spend some time looking for relevant background information that will help you develop your project. This should include identifying some of the data sources you will need. I am happy to provide suggestions of places to look, but have a go on your own first!  

To get started, you could:

  • look for background and context information for the topic you have chosen (who has worked in this area before, and what did they accomplish?);
  • look for examples you can use to justify your choice of methods;
  • look for application examples of the use of geospatial analysis in emergency management;
  • identify and compile the data you need for your analysis (and touch base with me if you have any problems – the earlier the better!).

Each project will have quite specific needs, so you will need to think of the additional information you will need to write your report.

Some Suggestions...

  • I encourage you to make use of our excellent Penn State library resources. You can skip the overview (but I don't suggest it) and go right to the library search as well. You probably know this, but the search functions include a lot more than books, e,g., reports, journal articles, dissertations, and theses. Many of the references are available in electronic form and can be downloaded. The library also has an "Ask a Librarian" chat that allows you to chat with a librarian in real time.
  • Google Scholar is your friend. This is one of the primary ways academics now search for articles. It is also a good way of developing scientific 'social networks' as it is easy to follow links to other works by an author, or who they are working with, etc.  
  • Finally, have a look at the recent proceedings from the ISCRAM conference. There are tons and tons of good stuff there. Oh, ISCRAM is a professional society for people working in the field of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. 

NOTE:

You do not need to turn anything in for your Term Project this week, but you really should get cracking on your background research. Don't let this time slide by without making some progress on that effort.

If you have questions about how to proceed - you can ask those in the General Questions Discussion in Canvas. It's great if you're able to help a classmate, too, so don't be shy.