Jon Reades - j.reades@ucl.ac.uk
1st October 2025
Module Lead | Contact |
---|---|
Jon Reades | Email, Slack |
Lecturers | |
Ollie Ballinger, Sukankana Chakraborty | Slack |
PGTAs | |
Leo Gao, Adam Zhou, Maria Wood | Slack |
A few fun facts about your module lead…
Foundations is distributed across two web sites:
And don’t forget about this quick introduction to Python: jreades.github.io/code-camp/!
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Quantitative Methods (QM)
Foundations of Spatial Data Science (FSDS)
This class hopes to achieve four things:
These skills are intended to be transferrable to post-degree employment or research.
See this thread on moving from academia to data science.
The specific activities for each week can be found on the microsite. These include:
Bring Your Computer
Please remember to bring your own computer to the practical sessions! The tools we use are not installed on cluster systems.
Study like you’re learning a new language. Do the readings. Talk to other students (especially in your group). Ask for help when you need it!
Don’t take my word for it, Prat et al. (2020) in Nature link language learning to programming language learning!
I was really struggling with the concepts of lists, dictionaries and iterations (I basically could not do any of Practical 3 without panicking) and I was telling
that it felt like Workshop 3 was all in a foreign language - I was so lost. But both yesterday and today, I have been over all the content, recordings and even code camp again and I’ve just had a penny drop moment, I could cry woohooo!!!!!!
I really appreciate all the effort you’ve put into recording the concepts ahead of lectures and the way you’ve structured the module, although it is very fast-moving you have provided all the resources for us to do well.
I just wanted to update you on my progress. Since flipping the content round following your advice, I have been feeling much much better. I followed what you were doing in the workshop and also have completed the practical in about half the time than I usually do. Thanks so much for responding and for your effort with this module.
In the first 3 weeks we were thrown a lot of information about different concepts (Git, Jupiter, Docker, Python) and it was very overwhelming. I think, the amount of information we were supposed to learn within the first month was too much.
… and
In FSDS, I’ve tried my best to review and catch up but I don’t know why I still struggle a lot figuring the whole picture. Suddenly the script went from simple into complex really quick.
… vs.
The technical content is very slow, and we don’t write a lot of code in the practicals, so I feel like I’m not learning and remembering it very well.
The discussion in the lecture is just a very low-level recap of the readings… I think it might be better for Jon to give mini lectures (e.g. on ethics, data quality etc.) which tie the points together.
vs.
I think it’s not necessary to spend too much time discussing reading materials at class. Instead, we can ask some questions on slack after class.
These courses need clearer guidance to help students set learning goals and show them what they need to do in each class. For example the tasks and assignments for each class are clearly stated before the reading material is presented.
I’m quite confused about The content of practical 1-5. I know python has so many package’s and data types. Maybe combining the real data analysis with detailed data learning (objects, function) is better to understand.
The slides can be a little clearer and write more words.
When you need an answer right now:
When you want to learn more:
From the Computer Science Wiki:
To which we would add:
print(variable)
statements liberally in your code!icecream
is nice, but a little overwhelming.In addition to what we have provided, we like the “How to ask programming questions” page provided by ProPublica:
If you find yourself wanting to ask a question on Stack Exchange then they also have a guide, and there are plenty of checklists.
There is no shame in asking for help. None. We are here to support your learning and we have chosen a range of tools to support that:
#fsds
channel for help with coding, practical, and related course questions.You will get things wrong. We will get things wrong. We have tried to offer suggestions for how to read, how to think about what you’re learning, and how to manage distractions. But if you need help we are here for you!
The Academic Communication Centre also offers lots of support, including drop-in sessions, tutorials, and writing workshops.
We will assume that you are trying your best. Please assume the same about us!
Auto-Updates
Do not allow your computer to auto-update during term. Inevitably, major upgrades will break developer tools. Do this by choice only when you have time. MacOS Tahoe was released 15 September; if you haven’t already updated, please do not install it!