Module manager: Mohamed Ibrahim
Email: M.Ibrahim1@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
N/A
N/A
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module will provide a foundation in data science training, introducing concepts in data handling, exploratory data analysis, machine learning, and visualisation. The course will provide students with opportunities to work with a variety of spatial and spatiotemporal datasets relating to urban systems (e.g. transport data, demographics, morphologies). The course will embed good practice in data science production through code notebooks, and in open science methods (e.g. through GitHub). The course will aim to become language agnostic, but beginning by providing code and opportunities to submit assessments in a specified programming language, which will allow students to shape their learning to match optional course requirements.
This module will introduce students to urban data science, providing a thorough foundation of data sets, analytics and applications across a diverse range of contemporary urban contexts. It will develop an understanding of the appropriate steps and techniques for effective data processing and visualisation, fostering independence and confidence in coding though practical approaches, utilising notebooks and open science methods
1. Understand and apply all steps of data handling and analytics, including wrangling, description, analysis, machine learning and visualisation
2. Understand the core concepts and applications of regression, clustering and classification methods and machine learning techniques, to identify and perform the appropriate implementation of each
3. Become comfortable working with a range of non-spatial, spatial, and temporal datasets, understanding their application to a range of different urban systems
4. Be able to select and perform appropriate visualisations according to the data, and utilise these to clearly present their data and findings
5. Be proficient in creating and presenting comprehensive code notebooks in Python
6. Understand the benefits and practical applications of working with and creating their own open science methods
1. Introduction to Urban Data Science
2. Data Wrangling
3. Statistics and Visualisation
4. Regression
5. Clustering
6. Classification and Machine Learning
7. APIs and Social Media
8. Spatial Analysis
9. Temporal Analysis
10. Evaluation and Validation
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Practical | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Private study hours | 120 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
Private study will involve some background reading on urban data science applications, consolidation of the lecture content, and completion of the data science tasks set during the practical lab sessions.
Follow up tasks will be provided during each lab for self-study. Three of these will be practice tasks and/or reading, to gain practice and build confidence, 4 will be short data exercises which will be submitted the following week for formative feedback. Students will have chance to ask any questions and begin these during the labs. The remainder of the weekly tasks will be summative.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Data analytics project task, addressing an urban issue, presented as a markdown notebook (3000 words equivalent) | 70 |
| Computer Exercise | Data science tasks with lab support | 30 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Labs will include tutorials for implementing lecture content through Python in a notebook The Computer Exercise assessment is a group-based assessment in week 8, with groups of 3-5 students. 30% of the final grade.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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