Proposing a Research Project

Purpose of a Proposal

A research proposal is the initial checkpoint for any competition project within DS@GT ARC. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the project is well-conceived and warrants the allocation of time and resources. A completed proposal is required for mentors to approve enrollment for credit in CS8903. It also serves as a foundational document for recruiting team members and establishing a clear plan for the semester. A standard proposal should be approximately two pages in length.

Required Content

A proposal must contain several key sections. It should begin with a concise overview of the competition, including the organizing body, the primary task, and all relevant deadlines. This is followed by the project motivation, which states the rationale for selecting this problem, such as its potential impact or technical novelty. The document must also describe the provided dataset, detailing its size, format, and structure, and specify the official metric used for evaluation. It is essential to summarize any preliminary research, including baselines or prior work, to provide context for the proposed approach. The core of the proposal is the detailed technical methodology, which should cite foundational research papers or software libraries. Finally, the proposal must include a high-level project timeline with monthly milestones for key phases like data processing, model development, final submission, and report writing.

Feasibility Assessment

This section evaluates the practical viability of the project. It should include an analysis of the project's feasibility relative to the team's current skills, available computational resources, and the competition timeline. It is also necessary to identify potential risks, such as data quality issues or computational constraints, and propose a clear mitigation strategy for each. The assessment should conclude by acknowledging any areas where the team will need to acquire new knowledge or seek mentorship.

Proposal Utilization

Once approved, the proposal serves several functions throughout the project lifecycle. A well-structured proposal enables prospective teammates to understand the project's scope and objectives, which facilitates recruitment. It also acts as a roadmap for project management and should be referenced during weekly updates, reviews, and the preparation of the final report. As a model for balancing data preparation, modeling goals, and a timeline, teams should consult the GeoLifeCLEF 2024 proposal located in the group repository. The approval of the proposal marks the official commencement of the project.