EV 314-ADK
Integrated Research Project: Big Data and the Adirondacks
Adirondack Semester
Spring 2017 - 3 credits
Overview
This semester as part of the Adirondack Semester, the Integrated Research Project will focus on big data and the Adirondacks. By talking to government agencies, non-profits, businesses, researchers and individuals, students will investigate the types of data being collected about the Adirondacks today and how they are used to inform policy and decision making - from counting the number of bird species, to monitoring air quality, to counting the number of hikers on a trail, to surveying public sentiment about land development proposals.This Integrated Research Project will integrate with the other classes students are taking this semester. In other classes, students will record personal journals, engage in ethnographic observations and surveys, count animal species and monitor weather data and conduct interviews with regional businesses.
Students will engage in a number of other hands-on data collection projects and ultimately propose a set of data that ADK students could collect each semester as part of the Clarkson Adirondack Semester experience to form a long-term study of how Saranac Lake and the Adirondacks are changing over time.
Students will learn about the computing technologies that enable data collection and storage. We will reflect on the role of data collection and analysis in modern society - for good and bad - and in particular, we will consider the degree of data collection and surveillance, even in one of the wilder places on earth ("Forever Wild").
Students will also consider whether Clarkson could play a role in making Adirondack data sets available online.
Instructors
Deliverables
Each student responsible for:- Assembling a standard set of questions about current Adirondack data collections
- Contacting government agencies, businesses, non-profits, researchers about the data they already collect; Following through professionally and thoroughly
- Proposing possible data to be collected by ADK students each semester
- Hands-on data collection experiments including evaluating/installing monitoring equipment where applicable
- Actively reporting on data collection activities in other courses and integrating into the project
- Learn about the computer science end of data collection and storage/ Databases/ Big Data/ Data Analytics
- Reflections on the role of data in modern society for good and bad
- Group proposal for long term data collection
- Initial data collection for the long term data collection project proposed
- Midterm reports on survey and data collection progress
- Final group presentations at Clarkson and as an Outdoor-Indoor presentation to the Laurentian Chapter of the ADK
- Final group report on IRP
- Personal statement of contribution and reflection
- Evaluation of peers
- Participation in class discussions, group activities
- Readings and homeworks
Grade Breakdown
- 20% Existing Adirondack Data Survey and Documentation
- 20% New Data Collection Experiments and Documentation
- 10% Participation in Group Discussions/Class Activities/Homework/Readings/Quizzes
- 10% Essay on the role of data in society
- 10% Midterm Reports (Individual Presentations)
- 30% Final Group Project (Presentations, Writeup, Evaluation of Self and Peers)