Homework 3: This is My Dataset

The goals of this homework are:

Encourage you to locate and begin to document the dataset for your semester project.

Assignment

Find and begin to document the dataset you will use for your project. While this doesn't have to be your final choice for a dataset, you are encouraged to spend your homework time this week trying to make the final selection. If you find that you want to change datasets later, please discuss this with your instructor.

Using the formatting techniques discussed in class, begin to create your proposal paper.

The format of the proposal is somewhat flexible and you can arrange things as you wish. You should read the rubric on the proposal paper page and make sure that this addresses

Overview of the dataset
Document the source of the dataset
Summary information of the dataset
Question or area of investigation.

The formatting matrix should be used based on what we have discussed in class by the end of 9/8.

Your word document should include

A title and a subtitle including your name.
An Introduction section where you describe the project.
- This might be somewhat brief right now. What is the general area under investigation. This section should eventually address the question you wish to answer or the reason you are investigating the data you are looking at.
  This section should give the reader an overview of your project and motivate them to continue reading the paper.
Data Overview section where you describe your data. This should include
- A subsection providing a overview of the specific data you have selected. Answer questions here such as:
  - What is it the specific data set you selected?
  - Why have you selected this dataset?
  Address any specialized terms relating to your dataset.
- A subsection providing a discussion of your dataset and the source of your dataset. This should provide the reader with some guidance on how you obtained the dataset. This should include a discussion of file formats and sizes.
  - Where did your data set come from?
  - How was the data collected? (either directly by you or how did the original source obtain the data).
  - What format was the original data set in?
  - What is the file size of the original data set?
- A subsection discussing the layout of your dataset and the basic data types it contains.
  - How is the data organized? (rows and columns, freeform, ...)
  - Describe the size of the rows and columns of your dataset.
  - Why types of data is in your dataset? Don't describe every field, but indicate the different types of data your dataset contains.

Submit

Submit this document to the D2L assignment folder Homework 3 by the due date.