policies.html

<h2>Course Policies and Logistics</h2>

This document covers how the course runs day to day. It is not the syllabus.
The official course syllabus is published through NC State's Class Search tool
and posted in Moodle. Where the two documents overlap, the syllabus governs.
For the course overview, see the <a href="index.html">course page</a>.

<h3>Instructors and Communication</h3>

<b>Caitlin E. Haedrich, PhD</b>, Center for Geospatial Analytics, see
<a href="https://chaedri.github.io/"> personal webpage</a>
<br>chaedri@ncsu.edu, office hours by appointment; prefer Tuesdays

<p>
<b>Corey T. White, PhD</b>, Center for Geospatial Analytics, see
<a href="https://cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial/people/corey-white/">CGA page</a>
<br>ctwhite@ncsu.edu, office hours by appointment

<p>
Use the Moodle forum for anything about assignments, software, or data, since
the answer usually helps more than one person. Use email for anything personal
or time sensitive, and put GIS582 in the subject line.

<h3>Course Website and Moodle</h3>

The course website at
<a href="https://ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io/geospatial-modeling-course/">
https://ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io/geospatial-modeling-course/</a>
holds the schedule, lectures, assignments, and data links. The source is at
<a href="https://github.com/ncsu-geoforall-lab/geospatial-modeling-course">GitHub</a>
and the material is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

<p>
To manage your HW reports and project material we will use Moodle.
Upload your HW report as PDF file <code>LastnameFirstname_HW#.pdf</code>
(for example <code>SmithJohn_HW3.pdf</code>) on Moodle site by 11pm on the due date.

<p>
You will also use Moodle to post your project proposal, interim report, presentation and
a final paper as well as any additional material that you would like to share (videos, demos, data, google maps).

<p>
Moodle Forums are set up to introduce yourself, post your questions about assignments and discuss your projects.

<h3>Grading</h3>

60% homework assignments, 40% project.
100 points is the maximum number of points (total + extra credits) achieved in class.
Extra credits are given for innovative solutions,
creativity in problem solving and extensions to given tasks.
Points are taken off for late submissions.
<table>
  <tr><th>Grade</th><th>Course and each HW</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Max</td><td>100</td></tr>
  <tr><td>A+</td><td>97</td></tr>
  <tr><td>A</td><td>93</td></tr>
  <tr><td>A-</td><td>90</td></tr>
  <tr><td>B+</td><td>87</td></tr>
  <tr><td>B</td><td>83</td></tr>
  <tr><td>B-</td><td>80</td></tr>
  <tr><td>C+</td><td>77</td></tr>
  <tr><td>C</td><td>73</td></tr>
</table>

<h3 id="assignments">Assignments</h3>

In the assignments you will be performing similar geospatial analyses
in two different software packages - GRASS and ArcGIS Pro.
<em>Both</em> GRASS and ArcGIS Pro solutions are required,
described in a single paper (more details see below).
Step-by-step instructions are provided, but it is your task to explain
what is being done in terms of methods and results,
based on the lectures, manual pages and other on-line resources.

<h4>Report</h4>
<ul>
    <li>For each topic (as indicated in the schedule) you will submit a brief paper
    with min. 800 word text and 2 or more pages of graphics</li>
    <li>Required paper sections:
        <ol>
            <li>Introduction: task, problem, background, importance, motivation</li>
            <li>Methods: general description of methods and concepts, do not repeat instructions
              and do not discuss software issues here - this section should be software independent, common for
              both ArcGIS and GRASS and equations for methods should be included where appropriate.
              In this section you should demonstrate that for the given step-by-step instructions
              you were able to explain what methods are being used to solve the given problem</li>
              <li>Results: images, maps, graphs, tables with comments, focus on what is interesting in the data
                  and the derived maps, how does the method used influence the results.
                  Include answers to questions in this section.</li>
              <li>Discussion: was there anything unexpected or problematic in the results?
                          Were there any issues related to the methodology? Also discuss the software issues,
                          including fixes and suggestions for improvements here.</li>
              <li>Conclusion: 1-2 sentences what you have learned</li>
              <li>References where appropriate</li>
        </ol>
    </li>
    <li>Please read detailed <a href="report_guide.html">Report guide</a>
        created specifically for this class.
    <li>
        Sample paper formatting for
        <a href="resources/word_report_template.docx">MS Word (DOCX)</a>,
        <a href="resources/libreoffice_report_template.odt">LibreOffice (ODT)</a>
        (view online in <a href="https://www.rollapp.com/rollmyfile/10oKEs1bF6GLWfXbVAULDCmv8E4rw9TPbrzLY9Fp">rollApp</a>), and
        <a href="resources/latex_report_template.tex">LaTeX</a>
        (open online in <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/docs?snip_uri[]=https://ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io/geospatial-modeling-course/resources/latex_report_template.tex&snip_uri[]=https://ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io/geospatial-modeling-course/resources/report_template_image.png&rich_text=true">Overleaf</a>;
        register using NCSU email).
        <!--<a href="sample_report.pdf">pdf</a>,-->
        Do not use the text from this example, it is for formatting only!
    <li>
        Note that the submitted report should be in PDF, use naming convention
        <code>LastnameFirstname_HW#.pdf</code>.
    <li>
        You can find some helpful hints from past semesters in
        <a href="faq.html"><b>Comments/answers to HW questions</b></a>.
    <li>
        Upload your assignment papers on Moodle site
        according to the instructions above.
    <li>
        Although the HW papers are short they should be written in a style suitable for scientific publication.
<!--        To learn more about the structure of a scientific paper please read the first 10 pages of this document about the
        <a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/resources/understanding_the_publishing_process.pdf">Publishing process</a>-->
</ul>

<h3>Project</h3>

See <a href="projects.html">Projects page</a>.

<h3 id="software">Software</h3>

Install GRASS and ArcGIS Pro software following the instructions below.
Note that ArcGIS is available to students through the university.
GRASS is available to anybody and you can continue using it
on your computer after you graduate.

<h4>GRASS</h4>

<ul>
    <li>
        Free and open source package GRASS
        (<a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/">official website</a>)
    </li>
    <li>
        <b>Microsoft Windows</b>:
        <ul>
            <li>
                use the stand-alone installer package
                <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/download/windows/">GRASS 8.5.0</a>.
            </li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>
        <b>macOS</b>:
        <ul>
            <li>
                Download GRASS 8.5.0 binaries from
                <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/download/mac/">GRASS for Mac website</a>
                and follow their instructions about running it from /Applications folder and
                about first time opening GRASS.
<!--
            <li>
                Alternatively, if you use <a href="https://brew.sh/">Homebrew</a>,
                you can use tap from <a href="https://github.com/OSGeo/homebrew-osgeo4mac">OSGeo</a>.
                In terminal, execute:
                <pre>brew tap osgeo/osgeo4mac
brew install numpy
brew install liblas --build-from-source
brew install grass7 --with-liblas</pre>
            </li>
-->
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>
        <b>Linux</b>:
        <ul>
            <li>
                <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/download/linux/">GRASS packages</a>
                are available in software repositories
            </li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>
        use available resources to learn about GRASS
        <ul>
<!-- these two items need updates to 8.2 - e.g. GUI icons explanations does not match the screenshot
            <li>
                use
                <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/wxGUI.html">GUI help page</a>
                to learn how to work with the software using graphical user interface (GUI)
            </li>
            <li>
                use
                <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/full_index.html">modules' manual pages</a>
                to understand modules (tools) and their options
            </li>
-->
            <li>find <a href="https://grass-tutorials.osgeo.org/"> GRASS tutorial </a> for a topic you want
to learn about
            <li>use <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/helptext.html">GRASS Quickstart</a> to learn how to get started
            </li>
            <li>use <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/index.html">GRASS 8.5.0 Reference Manual</a>
                to access Introductions and Manuals for GRASS tools
            </li>
            <li>follow <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kktp5gZLLCk&list=PLiNYVMuYqTHUZUa7t3874sBfWAuNMj4pZ">
                Geospatial Modeling with GRASS 8.4.0 videos</a> for assignments in GIS582
            </li>
            <li> see also <a href="https://www.grassbook.org">Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach</a>
                book which is available in printed and electronic form in NCSU libraries. It was written for GRASS6
                but covers most of the assignments
            </li>
            <li>
                if you already know ArcGIS, you may want to have a look at
                <a href="https://grasswiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Terminology_comparison_between_ArcGIS_and_GRASS_GIS">Terminology comparison between ArcGIS and GRASS GIS</a>
<!--
                and
                <a href="https://grasswiki.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_GIS_for_ArcGIS_users">GRASS GIS for ArcGIS users</a> wiki pages (feel free to edit them)
-->
            </li>
            <li>
                explore various freely available video tutorials
                <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSCH2IXZ2pHrUXXuOK7EBKWmMD7i6CTA-">GRASS 8.0 Tutorials</a>
                <!--<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGc2WhP6M-rbgWItGriMexg">GRASS GIS Tutorials (Uses Older Version of GRASS)</a>
                or
                <a href="https://grasswiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Category:Videos">on GRASS GIS User wiki</a>-->
            </li>
            <li>
                or just learn when doing the first
                <a href="grass/data_acquisition.html">GRASS assignment</a>
            </li>
        </ul>
</ul>

<h4>ArcGIS</h4>

<ul>
    <li> ArcGIS Pro - Request AGOL account and download latest ArcGIS Pro software from the
                <a href="https://software.ncsu.edu"> NCSU Software Licensing Management page</a>
                (NCSU students only, read the licensing conditions)
    <li>Use <a href="https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/gis/virtcamp.html">ESRI Academy (Formerly ESRI virtual campus)</a>,</a> available at NCSU,
        to learn the software
    <li>Use help pages to understand tools and their options
</ul>

<h3 id="issue_report">How to Write an Issue(bug) Report</h3>
<p>Please use the following template when submitting software specific issues.</p>

<ul>
    <li><b>Subject/Title</b></li>
    <ul>
        <li>Short description of the issue</li>
    </ul>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>Describe the Bug</b></li>
    <ul>
        <li>A clear and concise description of what the bug is.</li>
    </ul>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>To Reproduce</b></li>
    <p>Steps to reproduce the behavior:</p>
    <ol>
        <li>Go to '...'
        <li>Click on '....'
        <li>Scroll down to '....'
        <li>See error
    </ol>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>Expected Behavior</b></li>
    <ul>
        <li>A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.</li>
    </ul>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>Screenshots or Video</b></li>
    <ul>
        <li>If applicable, add screenshots or video to help explain your problem.</li>
    </ul>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>System Description</b></li>
    <p><i>Please complete the following information:</i></p>
    <ul>
        <li>OS: [e.g. Windows 10, macOS 10.15, Ubuntu 20.04]</li>
        <li>GRASS version or ArcPro version: [e.g. 8.5.0, 2.8.3]</li>
    </ul>
</ul>

<ul>
    <li><b>Additional Context</b></li>
    <p>Add any other context about the problem here.</p>
</ul>

<h3 id="data">Data</h3>

<!--
Data are provided at three hierarchical levels:
<ul>
   <li>entire NC state with raster data at 500m resolution: region nc_500m</li>
   <li>South-west Wake County with raster data at resolutions 30m-10m: region swwake_10m</li>
   <li>small watershed in rural area with data resolutions of 1m-3m: rural_1m</li>
   <li>See more at <a href="https://grassbook.org/datasets/datasets-3rd-edition/">GRASSbook datasets description</a></li>
</ul>
-->
<ul>
<li>Sample GRASS dataset:
    <ul>
        <li>
            The dataset is provided during installation of GRASS on MS Windows under the name North_Carolina.
        <li>If you don't have it, start GRASS. In the data management window,
            click the icon <em>Download sample project to current database</em> and
            select <em>Complete North Carolina dataset</em>, click <em>Download</em>,
            close when finished. You should see a project <em>nc_spm_08_grass7</em> in your database.
            See also
            <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/helptext.html">GRASS Quickstart</a>
            and <a href="./grass/img/GRASS8.2_download_nc_sample_dataset.webm">Screen capture for MS Windows</a>
<!-- add link to slides with screenshots and/or video - THIS MAY BE HARD TO DO WITHOUT VIDEO! -->

        <li>Alternatively, you can download and unzip <a href="https://grass.osgeo.org/sampledata/north_carolina/nc_spm_08_grass7.zip">
            <em>nc_spm_08_grass7</em></a> into the <em>grassdata</em> directory and then start GRASS - you should see the dataset
            in the Data catalog.
            In this case it is <strong>important</strong> to make sure that your unziping software does
            not create additional directory with the same name, e.g. on MS Windows make sure that you do not get
            <em>nc_spm_08_grass7\nc_spm_08_grass7</em>.
    </ul>
	<p>
</li>
        <!-- Fatra needs to be made https or we need to move downloads to github or google drive or some other cloud storage -->
	  <!-- <li>Sample ArcGIS Pro geodatabase <a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/gdbs.zip"> <em>gdbs.zip</em></a></li> -->
      <li>Sample ArcGIS Pro geodatabase <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sWjiKpImy8IZgzdSdGLogglsjR3y68jN/view?usp=sharing"> <em>gdbs.zip</em></a></li>
          <ul>
             <li>Create <em>arcdata</em> directory e.g. C:\Users\myname\Documents\arcdata
             <li>After downloading, unpack ArcGIS geodatabase into <em>arcdata </em> directory
          </ul>
</ul>
<!--
<p>
Instructions:
<ul>
    <li>Create folders for your GIS data in a directory where you have permissions to write, for example:
        <ul>
            <li>MS Windows: C:\Users\myname\Documents\grassdata and C:\Users\myname\Documents\arcdata</li>
            <li>Mac OS or Linux: ideally in your home directory, e.g. /home/myname/Documents/grassdata</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>After downloading, unpack ArcGIS geodatabase into arcdata folder and, if using GRASS version &lt 8,
    copy GRASS location into grassdata folder</li>
    <li><strong>Important:</strong> make sure that your unziping software does
    not create additional directory with the same name, e.g. on MS Windows make sure that you do not get nc_spm_08_grass7\nc_spm_08_grass7.
    </li>
</ul>

<b>North Carolina data needed for assignments: </b><br>
<a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/nc_spm_08_grass7.zip">
GRASS LOCATION in State Plane, meters: nc_spm_08 (150MB),</a> <br>
<a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/ncrast_geodatabase_08_31_09.zip">
ArcGIS geodatabase, raster (53MB),</a>,
<a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/ncshape_geodatabase02_15_10.zip">
ArcGIS geodatabase, shape elevation for MR lidar stored as attribute (64MB) </a><br>
GRASS MAPSET needed later for Temporal Terrain Analysis:<br>
<a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/NagsHead_series.zip">
 NagsHead time series</a>, requires LOCATION in NC State Plane, meters<br>
Optional data sets for optional tasks in the assignments or for a project:
<ul>
    <li><a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/nc_ll.zip">GRASS LOCATION in Geographic coordinates WGS84. (55MB),</a>
    <li><a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/nc_spf.zip">GRASS LOCATION in State Plane coordinates, in feet (8MB),</a>
<a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/nc_utm18.zip">GRASS LOCATION in UTM18, meters - to be added</a> <br>
    <li><a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/0793_016.las.zip">2013 Raleigh lidar survey, tile 073_016, point cloud in las format (22MB)</a>,
    <li><a href="https://fatra.cnr.ncsu.edu/geospatial-modeling-course/data/0793_016_xyzirnc_ncspf.zip">in asci xyzirnc format (22MB)</a>
</ul>
-->

You can find additional data for your project in this list of <a href="resources/data_providers.html">data repositories</a>.

<h3>Attendance</h3>

In the on-campus section, attendance is recommended.
<!-- see also
    <a href="https://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-20-03">
    attendance regulations and university definitions of excused absences</a>-->

<h3>Academic Integrity</h3>

Students are bound by the
<a href="https://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-11-35-01">Code of Student Conduct</a>,
see also the
<a href="https://studentconduct.dasa.ncsu.edu/academic-integrity-overview/">academic integrity overview</a>.

<p>
Don’t cheat (e.g. use other person’s results),
but you are encouraged to <em>collaborate and help each other with advice,</em>
for example, through the message board.

<h3>Use of Large Language Models</h3>

The use of LLMs (i.e., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) in this course is permitted
for the purposes of completing assignments and projects.
However, the use of LLMs for the purposes of completing exams is strictly prohibited. Students are also required
to cite the use of LLMs in their assignments and projects. Failure to do so will result in a violation of the
courses academic integrity policy.

<p>
Students are also to be aware that the use of LLMs in this course is not a substitute for learning the material.
Assignments and projects must be properly cited and contain no plagiarized materials.

<h3>Accommodations</h3>

Reasonable accommodations are made for students with documented disabilities.
Register with the <a href="https://dso.dasa.ncsu.edu/">Disability Resources Office</a>
and provide the accommodation letter as early in the semester as possible so
arrangements can be made.

<h3>Student Support</h3>

<ul>
    <li><a href="https://counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu/">Counseling Center</a>
    <li><a href="https://asc.dasa.ncsu.edu/">Academic Success Center</a>
    <li><a href="https://dasa.ncsu.edu/students/pack-essentials/">Pack Essentials</a> for food,
        housing, and financial support
    <li><a href="https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/">NC State Libraries</a>
    <li><a href="https://help.ncsu.edu/">OIT Help Desk</a> for computing problems
</ul>

<h3>Course Evaluations</h3>

ClassEval opens near the end of the semester. The comments are read and used
to improve the course.

<h3>Changes to This Document</h3>

Anything that changes after the start of the term will be announced in Moodle
and updated here. Changes to grading, assessment structure, course structure, or
delivery will be communicated in writing at the time of the change.