Final Project Topics

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How to Pick a Topic

Pick one topic from this list for your final project. The full instructions are in the Final Project document, linked under Resources.

• Topics are first come, first served. Claim yours by starting a thread in the Final Project discussion on Brightspace, as the instructions explain.
• Two students can't present the same topic. If someone has already claimed yours, pick another one.
• You may pick a topic that isn't on this list, but check with me first.
• Cover your topic in a balanced, non-biased way, and focus on the data.

Topics

1. Music recommendations: how Spotify and other apps pick your next song, and how Spotify Wrapped is made
2. The TikTok For You page: how short-video apps decide what you see next
3. YouTube recommendations: how YouTube uses watch time and clicks to recommend videos
4. Dating app matching: what data dating apps use to decide who you see
5. Ride share and delivery pricing: how apps like Uber and DoorDash use demand data to set prices and pay
6. Ticket pricing: how concert and event tickets use dynamic pricing, and what data drives it
7. Sneaker and resale markets: how resale sites like StockX track prices and sales data
8. Shopping recommendations: how “customers also bought” and “you might like” recommendations work
9. Fake reviews: how sites try to spot fake reviews in ratings for products, restaurants, and apps
10. Influencer analytics: how engagement rates are measured, and how fake followers are found
11. Sports analytics: how teams use player tracking data for performance, strategy, and injury prevention
12. Sports betting odds: how sportsbooks use data to set odds and lines
13. Fantasy sports: how fantasy sports projections and rankings are made
14. Video game analytics: how game studios use player data to balance games and design new content
15. Esports statistics: how esports teams use data to scout players and plan strategy
16. Fitness trackers and smartwatches: what step, sleep, and heart rate data can and can't tell you
17. Running and cycling apps: how apps like Strava make heat maps and leaderboards from route data
18. Training data for AI image generators: where the images come from, and how the data shapes what the AI makes
19. Training data for AI chatbots: what text chatbots learn from, and why the data matters
20. Deepfake detection: how data is used to train tools that spot fake images and videos
21. Streaming shows and movies: how Netflix and other services use viewing data to decide what to make and cancel
22. Music charts: how Billboard and other charts count streams, sales, and radio plays
23. Credit scores: what data goes into a credit score, and how it's calculated
24. Budgeting apps: what personal finance apps do with your transaction data
25. AI resume screening: how companies use data and AI to sort job applications
26. College admissions data: how colleges use data in admissions and financial aid
27. Predicting student success: how schools use data to find students who might need extra help
28. Language learning apps: how apps like Duolingo use learner data to plan lessons and reminders
29. A/B testing: how apps and websites test two versions of something to see which works better
30. Self-driving cars: how self-driving cars collect and use sensor data
31. Wildlife and conservation data: how sensors, cameras, and tags are used to track animals and protect habitats
32. Wastewater testing: how testing sewage is used to track illnesses in a community
33. Space data: how telescopes and satellites collect data, and how NASA shares it with the public
34. Crowdsourced data: how Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and citizen science projects collect data from volunteers
35. Data journalism: how journalists use data to find and tell stories
36. Polling and election forecasting: how polls are collected and weighted, and how forecasts are made
37. The census: how the US Census counts people, and how the data is used
38. Careers in data: what data analysts, data scientists, and data engineers do, and how to get started
39. Retail stocking: how stores decide what to stock, and where, using sales data
40. Subscription cancellations: how subscription companies predict who's about to cancel, and what they do about it

Resources

The Final Project instructions Link: https://www.aholdengouveia.name/IntroData/labs/finalproject.html