The Earth Data Science Minor is designed for you to acquire the skills to be a highly competent data professional in whichever Earth Science field you end up in. This involves skills in wrangling, analyzing, and presenting data, though with less of a focus on statistics than a Machine Learning degree.
Spatial data are a critical type of information to work with in Earth Science. We require a minimum of two GIS classes.
Being able to write code for data analysis is critical, and Python is the language that we require because of its data manipulation strengths. Other languages obviously have useful capabilities, but Python is expected in most data science projects.
Classes approved for the Earth Data Science Minor
The Minor in Earth Data Science has no specifically required classes, and the courses can be drawn from the following list:
For the one lower division programming class, one of the following is suggested:
- G 410 Python for the Natural Sciences
- M 271 Mathematical Computing
- CS 161 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving
For the five adviser-approved courses, any of the following will satisfy the requirement:
- G 324 Data Management & Analysis
- G 424 GIS for the Natural Sciences
- G 425 Field GIS
- G 423 Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology
- G 426 Numerical Modeling
- G 410 Machine Learning for the Natural Sciences
Most Geographic Techniques classes will also count, these are a few:
- Geog 4/575 Digital Compilation and Database Design
- Geog 4/576 3D Terrain Analysis and Visualization
- Geog 4/577 Photogrammetry and LiDAR
- Geog 4/580 Remote Sensing and Image Analysis
- Geog 4/581 Digital Image Analysis I: Introduction
- Geog 4/582 Digital Image Analysis II: Advanced Remote Sensing
Courses from Systems Science and Applied Statistics are often applicable, here are a couple of examples:
- SYSC 431 Data Mining with Information Theory
- SYSC 340U Big Data and the Modern World
Many other courses from outside of the Geology department have a strong emphasis on data. It's important that the techniques are applicable to the Earth Sciences, in order to satisfy the theme of the minor. If you have any doubt about whether a class would count, please check before you take it.
You can email the advisor, David Percy percyd@pdx.edu