GEO4300 – Geophysical Data Science

After completing this course, you will be able to

• manage, conduct quality control, and analyze and classify time series of complex geophysical data
• statistically characterize and model geophysical data
• conduct analysis of extreme events in the temporal and frequency domain
• conduct multiple linear regression
• evaluate spatio-temporal variability
• develop stochastic models and evaluate residuals from geophysical data
• conduct basic time series analysis
• perform basic kriging operations on spatial data
• manage large and complex data from earth system models, reanalysis datasets, satellite products, and heterogeneous observations

Both master's students and PhD candidates can take this course.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb. If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to master's students who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included.

The course has a max capacity of 20 students. If there are more than 20 applicants for the course, applicants will be ranked after the following categories:

1. Master's students in Geosciences admitted to one of the following programme options (not prioritized order):
   • Geosciences (master)
   • CS: Geoscience (programme option)
2. PhD candidates from the University of Oslo
3. Other students

Applicants will be ranked by the number of ECTS-credits within each category: all applicants within category 1 are ranked before applicants in category 2. If there are space limitations in the course, available places will be given to students selected randomly within the same category.

Based on experience, there is generally room for everyone who applies for admission to the course within the deadline.

• MAT1100 – Calculus / MAT1001 – Mathematics 1 (discontinued) or similar knowledge
• STK1100 – Probability and Statistical Modelling / STK1000 – Introduction to Applied Statistics or similar knowledge
• a bachelor's course in hydrology / meteorology / climatology / physical geography

Teaching consists of lectures 2 x 2 hours per week and 3 hours of computer lab weekly, providing data-processing and practical programming exercises. You must submit written reports on a minimum of 6 (out of 7) exercises, which will count towards the final grade.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the course responsible.

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

• 6 out of 7 written reports together count 30% towards the final grade.
• The final written examination counts 70% towards the final grade.
• The reports and the final written examination must be passed separately to pass the course.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for one of the following courses:

• GEO9300
• GEO4310 – Stochastic methods in hydrology (continued)
• GEO9310

Courses taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English.

You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.