A term project is required for all students in the course "Observing the Earth from Space". The project is an opportunity for you to apply the techniques of satellite remote sensing to a problem of interest to you. Some students may already be involved in a current research project and will frame a course project around this. Alternatively you may design a project which extends one of the case studies in the course, or you may want to select a project from the on-line list of OEFS Project Ideas. You are not limited to subjects which are discussed in the course.

In all cases however, the project should match the general emphasis of the course; satellite remote sensing using the methods, software and hardware of CEO. In some cases, you may be constrained to use the satellite data sets already available at CEO. You may of course, import other types of data to supplement the satellite data. Be realistic however about the availability and format of other data sources. Try to pose a specific question which can be answered by satellite remote sensing.

The most challenging aspect of the term project is the selection of a subject for which satellite remote sensing is an appropriate tool. Most good projects will have quantitative conclusions or qualitative understanding as a result, not just the processed imagery itself. Alternatively, you may choose to focus on a particular new method of image analysis.

The success of your project will depend in part on how well you use the existing literature in the field. A powerful way to search for papers is to use the online Meteorology and Geophysical Abstracts (MGA) which includes the "International Journal of Remote Sensing" and "Remote Sensing of the Environment". Consult the CEO "Guide" for a list of other journals. Most of these are available on campus.

Each student should hand in a one paragraph prospectus, describing the proposed project, on Thursday, March 4. This prospectus should include the goal of the project, the data to be used, and a list of ten or more references from the remote sensing and related literature. Indicate with a check-mark which of these papers you have read. Please see the Prospectus Assignment for more specific details on this.

A Progress Report will be due on Tuesday, April 13. This should include your work to date as well as any problems you are encountering with your project.

Your final project report should include: standard cover page, introduction describing the question you have posed, available data, methods, tabular results, conclusions, suggestions for future work, images, and reference list. The total length of the report (including figures) should not exceed twenty pages. The reports from previous years are available in the CEO Lab for your reference. The copy you hand in will be archived at CEO. You may want to make a second copy for yourself. The report is due on Saturday, May 1 at 5:00 PM.

In addition, you will be required to give a short oral report on your project. As the time for the report will be only 12 minutes, your presentation should include only 10 to 15 slides (e.g. statement of the problem, data sources, methods, an image or two, conclusions). The project presentations will be held on Thursday, April 29. The presentations start at 9:00 AM, continue through the afternoon, and may extend into the evening. Please try to attend as many of the talks as possible; but you must attend at least 10 presentations. The presentation and project report will be graded by the instructors. Note that there is no final exam in the course.