Assignment

The purpose of this task is for you to visually showcase data by identifying appropriate sources of data, scraping and cleaning data, and presenting those data in different formats. As you complete this task, you will create a dashboard with multiple visualization formats, use your data to effectively tell a story, and justify the choices you make. Your choices will be based on the criteria in the scenario and requirements sections below. You will also submit a brief written response to explain how you chose to present your data and why your methods are appropriate.

You must submit all your data files (both raw and cleaned) in spreadsheet format (e.g., .csv, .xls, .xlsx). To scrape your data, choose reliable web sources and use tools common to the industry such as Python, R, or other industry standard tools. You should use Tableau to create all your graphic representations (e.g., scatter plots, bubble charts, density plots, histogram matrices, heat maps, parallel coordinate plots, multidimensional scaling). Submit these Tableau outputs as .pdf files. Use a word processor to create your accompanying written report, as outlined in the requirements. This report should be two pages long, formatted in 12-point Arial font, and double spaced. Submit the reports as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.

The following artifacts are required to be submitted as part of this task:
1. data files (raw and cleaned) in spreadsheet format (.csv, .xls, or .xlsx)
2. dashboard and graphical representations of each data set, as created in Tableau (.pdf)
3. written response or data summary (.doc, .docx, or .pdf)

Your submission will not be evaluated if these three artifacts are not submitted in the proper format.

Scenario:

You have been hired as a data analyst and one of your first tasks includes selecting a car, primarily for your use, that will become part of the company fleet. Your manager has already narrowed down the choices to four vehicles: a 2017 Ford Escape, 2017 Honda CRV, 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, or 2017 Toyota Rav 4. Because you will purchase the car with company funds, your manager has asked you to select a vehicle based on the company's criteria; however, your own criteria for choosing a car are different. You must use data visualization best practices to create a dashboard, using data you will scrape, and tell a story for your manager to support your car selection.

Criteria 1 (Company Criteria):
Safety features - weighted at 10
Maintenance cost - weighted at 5
Price point - weighted at 7

Criteria 2 (Your Criteria):
Insurance
Fuel Economy
Resale Value

Note: You should include your personal weighting for the individual aspects of your criteria as part of your response to the requirements below.

Requirements:

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. Use the Turnitin Originality Report available in Taskstream as a guide for this measure of originality.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

Data Scrape

A. Scrape and submit the data for criteria 1 in the scenario.

B. Scrape and submit the data for criteria 2 in the scenario.

Data Configuration

C. Clean the data for criteria 1 and submit with labeled ranges and weights.

D. Clean the data for criteria 2 and submit with labeled ranges and weights. Include the weights you have selected for all three aspects of criteria 2.

E. Combine all the data and submit with labeled ranges and weightings for all six aspects of the criteria sets.

Data Presentation

F. Present your data visually based on criteria 1 in three data visualization or comparative graphic formats.

G. Present your data visually based on criteria 2 in three data visualization or comparative graphic formats.

H. Create a dashboard with four graphic representations, using accurate patterns and proportions, of all of your data for all six aspects of the criteria in the scenario.

Written Response

I. Justify your choice of the best vehicle based on all six aspects from the two data sets, citing specific examples from your data to support your claims.

J. Explain how you used elements of effective storytelling in your presentation. Be sure to include specific examples of how you used these elements to persuade your manager to purchase the car you have chosen.

K. Record the web sources you used to scrape the data in parts A1 and A2. Be sure the web sources are reliable.

Sources

L. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.