ENVS363/563.3 - A Computational

ENVS363/563.3 - A Computational Essay 2023/24
Overview and Instructions
Due Date: 8th January 2024
50% of the final mark
Overview
Here’s the premise. You will take the role of a real-world GIS analyst or spatial data scientist tasked
to explore datasets on the San Francisco Bay Area (often just called the Bay Area) and find useful
insights for a variety of city decision-makers. It does not matter if you have never been to the Bay
Area. In fact, this will help you focus on what you can learn about the city through the data, without
the influence of prior knowledge. Furthermore, the assessment will not be marked based on how
much you know about the San Francisco Bay Area but instead about how much you can show you
have learned through analysing data. You will need contextualise your project by highlighting the
opportunities and limitations of ‘old’ and ‘new’ forms of spatial data and reference relevant
literature.
Format
A computational essay using Quarto. The assignment should be carried out fully in Quarto.
What is a Computational Essay?
A computational essay is an essay whose narrative is supported by code and computational results
that are included in the essay itself. This piece of assessment is equivalent to 4,000 words.
However, this is the overall weight. Since you will need to create not only narrative but also code
and figures, here are the requirements:
• Maximum of 1,000 words (ordinary text) (references do not contribute to the word
count). You should answer the specified questions within the narrative. The questions
should be included within a wider analysis.
• Up to five maps or figures (a figure may include more than one map and will only count
as one but needs to be integrated in the same overall output)
• Up to one table
There are three kinds of elements in a computational essay.
1. Ordinary text (in English)
2. Computer input (R code)
3. Computer output