Welcome!
Welcome to the course materials for EDS 220 - Working with Environmental Datasets! In this website you will find all the materials for the Fall 2026 term. This course is part of the UCSB Masters in Environmental Data Science.
Course description
This hands-on course explores widely used environmental data formats and Python libraries for analyzing diverse environmental data. Students will gain experience working with popular open data repositories and cloud platforms to source and analyze real-world environmental datasets. The course will also serve as an introduction to Python programming and provide opportunities to practice effective communication of the strengths and weaknesses of students’ data products and analyses.
Teaching team
Instructor
Carmen Galaz García (she/her/hers)
- E-mail: c_galazgarcia@ucsb.edu
- Student hours: Thursday 1 pm - 2 pm @ Bren Hall 4424
TA
Fatiq Nadeem (he/him/his)
- E-mail: mnadeem@bren.ucsb.edu
- Student hours: Tuesday 3 pm - 4 pm @ Bren Hall 3016
Syllabus
Calendar
The following is our tentative calendar. The course content and calendar may be subject to change as the course progresses. Last updated: October 2, 2026.
| Week (Monday start date) | Topic | Monday | Tuesday - Lecture | Wednesday | Thursday - Lecture | Friday - Discussion section | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 0 Sept 21 | Python review | Sept 24 Course starts Entry survey due |
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| Week 1 Sept 28 | Tabular data I | Oct 2 Hwk 1 available |
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| Week 2 Oct 5 | Tabular data II | Oct 10 Hwk 1 due |
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| Week 3 Oct 12 | Tabular data III | Oct 16 Hwk 2 available |
Oct 17 Hwk 1 resubmission |
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| Week 4 Oct 19 | Vector data I | Oct 24 Hwk 2 due |
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| Week 5 Oct 26 | Vector data II | Oct 30 Hwk 3 available |
Oct 31 Hwk 2 resubmission |
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| Week 6 Nov 2 | Multi-dimensional data | Nov 7 Hwk 3 due |
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| Week 7 Nov 9 | Rasters I | Nov 13 Hwk 4 available |
Nov 14 Hwk 3 resubmission |
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| Week 8 Nov 16 | Rasters II | Nov 21 Hwk 4 due |
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| Week 9 Nov 23 | Rasters III | Nov 23 Portfolio instructions available |
Nov 26 No class (Thanksgiving break) |
Nov 27 No section (Thanksgiving break) |
Nov 28 Hwk 4 resubmission |
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| Week 10 Nov 30 | Extra topics | Dec 2 Blog post due |
Dec 5 Data analysis + GH repo due |
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| Finals Dec 7 | - | Dec 8 Portfolio feedback available |
Dec 11 @ 5 pm Portfolio final submission Exit survey due |
Contribute
📝 If you have suggestions on how to correct, improve, or expand these course materials, please feel free to email the course instructor at c_galazgarcia@ucsb.edu or file a GitHub issue.
🌟 If these materials have been useful to you, consider adding a star to the project’s repository!
