Mission Statement:

This peer-driven Modelling and Statistics Learning and Discussion Group at the Geography Department at the University of Calgary is formed with the intent to meet at regular intervals to informally discuss and learn (from papers and from each other's experiences) general modelling and statistical techniques and approaches applicable to the wide array of sub-disciplines in the field of geography.   The mission of this group is to provide a forum for the discussion of modelling, statistical, and research design issues, questions and problems in geographical research, to foster colleagiality and an awareness of research activity within the department, and to provide an archive of approaches, solutions, and “best practices” to cooperatively help guide current research projects, or to identify new areas of inquiry.

The first initiating meeting of this Group was held on June 20th 2006, with regular bi-monthly meetings during the academic year 2006/2007 (please see discussion schedule for the previousast year 2006/07). As a result of the initiating meeting, an on-line blackboard discussion forum was created for people to communicate on any modelling and statistics topic or question they might have and to post any materials (papers or presentations) and questions to be discussed in the fall. Every department member has access to this blackboard course called MOSTA_2006, and questions, papers and ideas can be posted on the discussion forum of this blackboard site.  If you are interested in joining this on-line discussion group, please contact Julia Linke (e-mail: jlinke@ucalgary.ca) or Typhenn Brichierie-Colombi (e-mail: tbrichie@ucalgary.ca).
 

Meeting Location: Earth Science Room 332
Meeting Time:  Bi-monthly meetings, starting Thursday, September 27, 2007, 11 am to noon

Meeting Format:
  I) First 20 minutes:
            a) Open forum for reviewing discussions from previous meetings, or introducing new topics.

            b) Review of the list of topics and questions  posted on the discussion forum of the blackboard
            MOSTA site and follow up of how these issues were solved
 

  II) Remaining 40 minutes:
            “Viewpoint Discussion” (with the posted topic and/or papers representing the “viewpoint”), where
            MOSTA participants respond to the topic or paper through the sharing of responses and
            experiences related to the topic, or by posing questions.

  Facilitator/Moderator Role:
        Anyone can act as a facilitator/moderator, and hence, play a leadership role in:
                a) summarizing Blackboard forums discussions
                b) following up on any open forum problems or questions
                c) guiding discussion
                d) finding/confirming facilitators for subsequent sessions
                e) posting notes from meetings on the Blackboard Web forum (e.g., in the form of digital
                photographs of the white board notes transcribed during meetings)

        It is hoped that there will be a diversity of facilitators/moderators so that everyone will have a chance to
        direct the discussion of topics of interest to them

Some sample topics to start the group could include:
 - Research Design
 - Sampling Design
 - Model selection approaches (p-values versus AIC etc.)
 - Model selection techniques (stepwise, all possible combination,
   apriori hypotheses)
 - Bayesian model selection techniques
 - Data dredging/mining
 - Accuracy Assessment of statistical models (ROC and others?)
 - Neural Networks and other black box approaches
 - Autocorrelation in spatial data sets (e.g. wildife data and others)
 - Spatial Smoothing and Interpolation techniques
 - Spatial regression
 - Quantitative versus Qualitative approaches
 - Time series
    - Geocomputation (Cellular Automation, Multi-agent Models)
 - Scripting techniques for statistical programming and modelling

Potentially as a vision for later, we could also hope to have speakers from the department or other departments on certain topics you are interested in or even develop ideas for a platform to  present some parts of our own work to each other.

Peer Contribution:
New discussion topics are expected to evolve during group meetings and should originate with the research questions facing MOSTA participants. Please note that many spots are still available for this year, and feel free to make your topic of interest known to the group!  Also, please see the current schedule, under the proviso that it is tentative and hence flexible for accommodating urgent topics.

This group will benefit from your involvement and your contribution of questions and papers of interest.  Please contact Julia Linke (e-mail: jlinke@ucalgary.ca) or the discussion board on the MOSTA_2006 blackboard course with the modelling and statistics topics of your interest or forward any interesting references of new and old techniques of innovative or of questionable approaches that we can discuss in the group.

Discussion Schedule:  Please follow this link to the schedule for the academic year 2007/2008 and then download the pdf of the paper to be discussed for each meeting - note that this schedule can change depending on urgency of certain topics and/or on contributions by group members; so please check this schedule regularly for updates.  Please send us topics and papers of your interest that could be incorporate in the upcoming meetings.  To see the papers and topics covered in the previous year, please follow this link for the previous acadamic year 2006/2007.

 Website last updated: September 30, 2008
by Julia Linke