Assignments
ISSS608 Visual Analytics and Applications
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To be a Visual Detective
The assignments require you to put the concepts, methods and techniques you had learned in class to solve real world problem using visual analytics techniques. Students should also use the assignments to gain hands-on experience on using the data visualisation toolkits I had shared with you to complate the assignment.
The assignment topics are based on VAST Challenge 2018 [1]. You are required to choose one of the challenge topic provided below and work out the solution.
Contents
Overview
Mistford is a mid-size city is located to the southwest of a large nature preserve. The city has a small industrial area with four light-manufacturing endeavors. Mitch Vogel is a post-doc student studying ornithology at Mistford College and has been discovering signs that the number of nesting pairs of the Rose-Crested Blue Pipit, a popular local bird due to its attractive plumage and pleasant songs, is decreasing! The decrease is sufficiently significant that the Pangera Ornithology Conservation Society is sponsoring Mitch to undertake additional studies to identify the possible reasons. Mitch is gaining access to several datasets that may help him in his work, and he has asked you (and your colleagues) as experts in visual analytics to help him analyze these datasets.
Mini-Challenge 1
Claims that the Rose-Crested Blue Pipit are healthy and vibrant across the whole preserve are a key component of Kasios' position against the work done by grad student Mitch from last year. Other data sources are needed to further investigate the birds' situation. Perhaps these bird call recordings could provide more insight into the real situation? Blending machine learning and visual analytics may be a powerful combination for this mini-challenge.
Please visit [2] for more information and to download the data.
Mini-Challenge 2
According to Kasios, those funny colored satellite images from the Preserve only prove that it is a diverse, changing habitat and that the peculiar images Mitch identified are not conclusive evidence of any wrongdoing. They argue that the other industries should be taking as good care of the area as Kasios corporate and its volunteer squads do year round. To show their goodwill, Kasios reports that they recently donated staff time and money to refurbish ranger stations and campgrounds across the Preserve! Does Kasios have a case here? Perhaps some new visualization of river contaminants and analyses within the Preserve may help illustrate that the new Kasios story doesn't hold water (or does it?).
Please visit [3].
Mini-Challenge 3
An unexpected source suggests extent of the Kasios' involvement in illicit activities may be much broader than just Mistford and the Wildlife Preserve. Visualization and analysis of some challenging data may provide further insights on the scope of their activities. This challenge may prove to be a stretch task for all VAST Challenge participants!
Please visit [4] for more information and to download the data.
Visualisation Software
To perform the visual analysis, students are encouraged to explore any one or a combination of the following software:
- Tableau
- JMP Pro
- Qlik Sense
- Microsoft Power BI
One of the goals of this assignment is for you to learn to use and evaluate the effectiveness of these visual analytics tools.
Submission details
This is an individual assignment. You are required to work on the assignment and prepare submission individually. Your completed assignment is due on 8th July 2018, by 11.59pm mid-night.
You need to edit your assignment in the appropriate wiki page of the Assignment Dropbox. The title of the wiki page should be in the form of: ISS608_2017-18_T3_Gx_Assign_FullName.
The assignment wiki page should include the URL link to the web-based interactive data visualization system prepared.
Reference
Past assignment by ISSS608 students
Assignment Q&A
Need more clarification, please feel free to pen down your questions.
