Hyberlinks: Weekly Schedules Final Project Guideline Slack Room
Announcement:
- 04/25/2022: Requirement for your final project prototype design is released. It is due on May 7th.
- 04/22/2022：You can submit more than four think pieces. We will view them all, but the four with the hightest scores will be counted towards your final grade.
- 04/21/2022: Requirement for your final project proposal is released. It is due on April 30th.
- 04/19/2022: The final project guideline has been released.
- 04/18/2022：All the final presentations have been assigned.
- check previous announcements.
Meetings:
Both lab and lectures have been switched to virtual meetings temporarily. Masks are strongly recommended to protect everyone, especially those whose personal or household situation makes them more vulnerable.
- Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 AM to 12:50 PM PST on https://washington.zoom.us/my/bzhao
- Labs: Wednesdays 12:30 AM to 4:20 PM PST
Personnel:
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Bo Zhao, Instructor, zhaobo@uw.edu | Office Hour: Thursdays 1 to 3 PM via Zoom by default or in-person by request. Check this link to make an appointment.
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Jiaxin Feng, Teaching Assistant, jxfeng@uw.edu | Office Hour: Fridays 2:30 to 3:30 PM via Zoom. Check this link to make an appointment. If you want to meet with me in person, please send me an email or a canvas message.
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Steven Bao, Teaching Assistant, bxq98@uw.edu | Office Hour: Mondays 1 to 2 PM via Zoom. Check this link to make an appointment. If you want to meet with me in person, please send me an email or a canvas message.
This web page is the syllabus - There is no printed version, please refer here instead. Make sure refer to this page as often as possible. Also, Feel free to ask the instructor for clarifications whenever needed.
As digital technologies have radically transformed human life, this course tries to engage students in this digitally mediated and data-intensive geographic world, and also train them the timely technical skills which are demanding in emerging job markets. This course will provide a unique opportunity to explore emerging digital methods, to build a holistic solution to real-world problems, and to critically analyze their social implications. Rather than focusing exclusively on one or two specific topics, this course covers a full range of theoretical perspectives and practical exercises. The course begins with teaching students on geospatial project management using GitHub, and then a series of geospatial data operations and analyses are covered in detail, such as online data (e.g., geo-tagged tweets) acquisition, geocoding, and geospatial analyses. With these preparations, this course switches to online geovisualization. After a brief introduction to web programming basics (e.g., JavaScript, Html, and CSS), students will learn how to visualize and narrate geographic phenomena in an online environment. Moreover, a few newly emerged issues in digital geographies will be introduced. A few state-of-the-art approaches and applications in digital geographies will be practiced, such as collecting aerial imagery and point clouds using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, commonly known as drone) or LiDAR, as well as storing real-time data from an environmental sensor. Towards the end of this quarter, we will also introduce a few newly emerged issues related to digital geographies, such as an problematic use of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence and the crypto place on Blockchain. Throughout this quarter, students will not only learn and practice geospatial techniques which are important to many emerging jobs, but also hone their critical intellectual visions on the social implications of the applied techniques.
This course is very “hands-on” and interactive! Most of our time will be spent in a hybrid lecture/lab where students will be working together. Although there will be some individual written reflections and analyses, no formal final exam will be set up. The final project enables students to figure out a holistic solution to a real-world problem. With the completion of this course, each student can share the course work at a self-made website which can be publicly viewed by classmates, open-source community as well as future industrial recruiters. Along the way, the readings will include both applied and theoretical selections. Students will learn not only how people have been programming and visualizing, but also about how critical social theorists have identified assumptions, ideologies, and rigidities in existing practices that can help students to make effective, inclusive and empathetic decisions in today’s data-intensive geographic world.
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To identify when and how the methods, sociology, and objects of geographical inquiry can be transformed through computational and networked approaches.
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To learn to find, evaluate, use, extend, and combine various methods and tools of digital geography as needed for a given task. Examples of such tools have included: GitHub, QGIS, Python, JavaScript, and Mapbox.
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To practice and reflect theoretically upon emerging born-digital, multi-modal, narrative, and interactive approaches to cartography and scholarly communication.
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To reflect on the iterative and social dimensions to one’s own learning process.
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To think critically about the technologies used in digital scholarship, including the material, social, and political implications of digital tech development, maintenance and utilization.
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To discern, through investigation, the relationship between space, technology, and society through critical engagement with practical and theoretical digital geographies methods.
Student Tech Support: The Student Tech Loan Program is expanding as quickly as possible. We announced this to undergrads as soon as it hit the airwaves, in hopes some of them who need hardware can reserve for spring quarter. They expect new/additional machines to arrive in April. STLP Website: https://stlp.uw.edu/ (check the Spring Announcement).
E-mail: is the easiest way of reaching me. I will respond to all e-mails during office hours, and will periodically return e-mail at other times. Please note that the answer to many commonly e-mailed questions can be found in the syllabus or on the course website. Please also note that in order to respond your e-mail you MUST include the following information in every e-mail:
- A Salutation (Both Dr. Zhao and Professor Zhao are acceptable)
- Your Full Name
- What class you are in
- Subject line summarizing your e-mail (i.e. “Question regarding Map Design” for example)
For all the questions related to quizzes and labs, please contact the TA.
GitHub: This course material will be hosted on GitHub instead of UW Canvas. On this dedicated GitHub repository, you can find most of the course material, participate in group discussions by submitting GitHub issues, and create new GitHub repositories to turn in the lab deliverables. By the end of this quarter, you will be more proficient in operating a cloud-based coding environment and able to host your work online as a way to gain public and peer attentions.
Labs: You need to finish all four labs by the due date. In order to help you work on each lab, we will walk through most of the labs in class.
Think Pieces: for week 1 to 8, there will be weekly reading assignments. To evaluate your reflection upon each week's reading material, we set up a discussion board for each week. You need to submit at least think pieces to 4 out of the 8 weeks' discussion topics. We will review them all, but only the four with hightest scores will be counted towards your final grade. Your think pieces should be completed by Thursday @ 11:59 pm for the weeks you are submitting a piece. All the 4 think pieces must be submitted by the end of Week 8 (May 20th, 11:59pm). Your think pieces should be at least 350 words and engage substantially with the reading materials, and connections to the lab assignments and lectures. Guiding questions or prompts will be included in each week's discussion section on canvas to help frame your thinking. Submit your think pieces on Canvas in the applicable week's discussion section (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434645/discussion_topics).
Class participation: Complete all assigned readings and get familiar with the lab instructions before class meetings, and actively participate in critical discussions of those readings. You should have completed all of the weekly readings before our Friday lab sections as these sections will be devoted to critical discussion and engagement with the required readings.
In-class presentation: Also, each group will lead the presentation about an assigned topic at least once throughout this quarter. We will start assign the group presentation assignment in Week 3. Each group will present an previously assign paper or a digital geography related project in no more than 10 minutes. If you prepare slides for the presentation, please send it to the instructor before class via email.
Final Project: will be conducted by a group of 4 to 5 students who are from the same Lab session. It needs to be submitted by June 8th, 11:59pm. Check out the detailed requirement for final project.
This week’s lecture and lab will prepare you for the course, and provide a theoretical and technical foundation to build from. We’ll work through the syllabus together, and answer any questions you all may have. Each student is expected to read the Ash et al (2018) paper. After completing Lab 1, you will be able to clone/synchronize the course material, set up a personal website, and gain practical experience using github to manage your digital geographies projects.
- Lectures: Syllabus, Intro to the Web, and Mastering Markdown
- Readings: a) Digital turn, digital geographies?, b) Humanistic GIS: Towards a research agenda, and c) extended readings.
- Think Piece 1: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: March 31st, by 11:59pm - Lab 1: Project management using GitHub
Due: April 8th, by 11:59pm
This week we’ll focus on honing the fundamental skill set for web programming. We will begin with an overview of the system architecture required for a digital geographies project, then guide you through some of the essential front-end fundamentals. Including, internet basics, html, javascript, and css. This week requires a lot of self-learning, and includes fairly lengthy readings and practical exercises. Please be prepared.
- Lectures: System architecture, intro-to-html, css and javascript, and Jquery.
- Readings: a) W3School Tutorials on Html, javascript, css and jquery, b) Introducing Code/Space, c) Cloud Ethics: Algorithms and the Attributes of Ourselves and Others, and d) extended readings.
- Think Piece 2: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: April 7, by 11:59pm
This week’s focus is on processing geospatial data for your digital geographies projects. We will begin by introducing the structure of the geojson format, and then look at techniques for collecting, converting and visualizing geojson objects/features in a web or desktop environment such as QGIS. After completing Lab 2, students will have learned how to collect geo-tagged tweets using specific keywords/topics (e.g., etc.), and methods for visualizing the spatial distribution of the locations for those tweets.
- Lectures: Geospatial data for digital geographies, and More than you ever wanted to know about GeoJSON
- Readings: a) Stand with #StandingRock: Envisioning an Epistemological Shift in Understanding Geospatial Big Data in the “Post-truth” Era, b) Putting Data back into Context, c) extended readings.
- Think Piece 3: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: April 14th, by 11:59pm - Lab 2: Geo-tagged tweet collection and visualization
Due: April 22nd, by 11:59pmIf you want to integrate a word cloud to your final project please refer to this tutorial - Presentations: Tuesday: Standing Rock paper (AA1), Native Land Digital (AB1), Thursday: Data back to Context Paper (AC1), Ukraine Interactive Map (AD1)
This week you will be making your first web map of the quarter using the popular web mapping library - MapBox The lecture section this week we’ll work together familiarizing everyone with the basics of web mapping, and then provide a detailed introduction to the Lab 3 exercise.
- Lectures: Making Thematic Maps on the Internet using MapBox
- Readings: a) Digital Mapping and Segregation, b) Hacker Cartography, and c) extended readings.
- Think Piece 4: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: April 21st, by 11:59pm - Lab 3: Web map application
Due: April 29th, by 11:59pm - Presentations: Tuesday: Digital Mapping and Segregation paper (AB2), TweetMap (AA2), Thursday: Hacker Cartography Paper (AD2), Oregon Water Atlas (AC2)
- Lectures: BaseMap design using Mapbox Studio and Mockup for web mapping project
- Readings: a) The Guide to Map Design, b) Intro to Critical Cartography, c) Mapbox Studio How-to Videos, and d) extended readings.
- Think Piece 5: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: April 28th, by 11:59pm - Lab 4: Map Design and Tile Generation
Due: May 6th, by 11:59pm - Presentations: Tuesday: The Guide to Map Design (AA3), Snapchat Map (AB3), Thursday: Refugee Camps Chapter from the Global Refugee Atlas (AD3), Intro to Critical Cartography paper (AC3)
- Lectures: Create a smart dashboard, Examples: COVID-19 Dashboard; Dynamic Charts.
- Readings: a) The praxis and politics of building urban dashboards, b) History of the Urban Dashboard, c) 3 Ways Data Dashboards Can Mislead You, and d) extended readings.
- Think Piece 6: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: May 5th, by 11:59pm - Presentations: Tuesday: History of the Urban Dashboard article (AB4), United Nation's COVID-19 Data Explorer (AC4), Thursday: The praxis and politics paper (AD4), Restaurant Complaints in NYC (AA4)
This week we will explore the concept of geo-narrative, the use of storytelling in mapping practice, by looking at existing geo-narrative mapping projects and engaging in a group discussion and map critique.
- Lectures: a) A Geo-Narrative Template. Examples: a) Oregon Atlas, b) Stand with #Standing Rock
- Readings: a) Planning and outlining your story map , b) Anti-Eviction Mapping Project Handbook, c)extended readings.
- Think Piece 7: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: May 12th, by 11:59pm - Presentations: Tuesday: Planning and outlining your story map (AA5), Mapping Amazon: GOOD JOBS FIRST (AB5), Thursday: The praxis and politics paper (AC5), The Wall (AD5)
This week will focus on two emerging topics related to digital geographies, including cloud point visualization and real-time environment data collection, and explore their promise and pitfalls.
- Lectures: a) Blockchain-based network map, b) Real-time GIS, and c) Real-time environmental data visualization.
- Readings: a) Deepfake Geography, and b) Blockchain and crypto place, c) extended readings.
- Think Piece 8: Think Piece Canvas Link
Due: May 19th, by 11:59pm
During these two weeks, each group will focusing on their final projects. The instructor and teaching assistants are available during the normal lecture period, lab sections and office hours if help is needed.
Each group will present their final projects at GUG 220 on Wednesday (June 8th) 4:30 to 6:20pm.
| Grading items | % |
|---|---|
| Participation | 5% |
| In-class Presentation | 10% |
| Think Pieces | 20% |
| Lab Assignments | 30% |
| Final Project Progress | 15% |
| Final project | 20% |
The item
participationincludes your participation in the class (e.g., self-introduction, survey, answer questions in class, etc.) and/or your response on GitHub issues (ask questions via GitHub issue, and help your classmates using the GitHub issues function).
Our very highest priorities include creating a brave and supportive class environment where each of us contributes, we can ask big questions, we give and receive critiques in a supportive way, we notice and engage the ways that we are differently situated within past and present relationship of power, privilege and oppression. I invite you to think hard about how race, gender identity, religion, age, citizenship status, first language, ability, sexuality, class, and other axes are at work in our interactions, and what this might mean in terms of when to speak up, when to step back, how to listen, and much more. Each of you is a welcome and invaluable part of our collective whole.
We welcome the opportunity to work with any students with disabilities in this class to ensure equal access to the course. If you have a letter from Disability Resources for Students (DRS) outlining your academic accommodations, please present the letter to me (or email us, to confirm, if the letter is electronic) as soon as possible so that we can discuss the accommodations you may need for this class. Any discussions between student and professor need to occur as early as possible in order for adequate arrangements to be made. If you do not yet have a letter from DRS, but would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact DRS here (Links to an external site.), or in-person at 011 Mary Gates Hall, or at 206-543-8924 (Voice & Relay), mailto:uwdrs@uw.edu.
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
It is important that you take care of yourselves inside and outside of class as you work through stress and other obstacles. There are many different support services on campus that can help, such as the Counseling Center, Hall Health, and the IMA. UW’s Student Care program can help you connect to these and other resources. Learn more an contact them directly: http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/student-care/, livewell@uw.edu, or 206.543.6085. If you are concerned about yourself or a friend who is struggling SafeCampus is a helpful resource. Please add 206.685.7233 to your phones
This course advocates for the open culture. The course materials are open source for both students and open source community to access.
Notably, students are not allow to videotape or audio-tape (record) this class in any form, and sharing recordings outside of class without the written consent of each student in the class is not permitted by FERPA. However, I will try to record most of the classes via Zoom and share them via Canvas. Even so, I still encourage each of you attend the lectures instead of watching the recorded videos afterwards. Your in-class participation is a key factor to yield the best learning outcome. The instructor determines if their class can and cannot be recorded. This decision should be clearly communicated by the instructor at the beginning and throughout the quarter. In Zoom, the recording feature can be controlled by the instructor, as the meeting host.
The development of this course has been sponsored by UW's Data Science Minior committee. This course is largely based upon material designed with Tyler McCrea, and also I sincerely appreciate Jou Ho, Fengyu Xu, Steven (Xiaoqi) Bao for their assistance in developing this course.