HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
Background Information
Every year from June 1 to November 30 is Hurricane Season in the
United States. Rescue relief agencies such as FEMA and the Red
Cross are ready to assist when a hurricane comes ashore.
Unfortunately, hurricanes cause billions of dollars of damage every
year, and deaths are not unusual. The National Weather Service
makes its best guess as to when and where the storm will hit. Due to
constraints on technology and the overall unpredictable nature of weather,
however, damage is often inevitable.
Problem Statement
In this assignment, students will explore data about hurricanes and related storms
from 1950 onward. Using the tools available, predictions can be made about the
cost of a hurricane if it makes landfall.
Instructions
IMPORTANT: Complete the below steps in the order they are given. Completing the
steps out of order may complicate the assignment or result in an incorrect result.
1.
Download the following files onto your computer:
a.
cpifactors.xml – Listing of Consumer Price Index adjustment factors [1].
Table: CPIFactors
Field Name
HurricaneYear
CPIFactor
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Type
Number
Number
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Description
Primary key. Year of CPI adjustment factor.
CPI adjustment factor for 2011-valued
dollars.
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HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
b.
c.
hurricanes.xml – Statistics on hurricanes from 1950 to 2011 [2].
Table: Hurricanes
Field Name
HurricaneName
Type
Short Text
HurricaneYear
Number
StartDate
EndDate
MaxCategoryID
Date
Date
Short Text
MaxWindSpeed
MinPressure
Number
Number
Deaths
Damage
Number
Currency
RetiredName
Yes/No
Description
Part of composite key. Name given to the
storm.
Part of composite key. Year the storm took
place.
Date the storm developed.
Date the storm diminished.
Maximum category as which the storm was
classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Scale.
Maximum wind speed recorded for the storm.
Minimum air pressure recorded for the
storm.
Number of deaths attributed to the storm.
Estimated damage caused in the United
States.
If yes, this storm resulted in the hurricane
name being retired.
hurricanescale.xml - Information on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
[3].
Table: HurricaneScale
Field Name
Type
CategoryID
Short Text
CategoryName
Short Text
LowerWindSpeed
Number
UpperWindSpeed
Number
Description
Primary key. Abbreviation for the category.
Full name of the category (e.g., “Tropical
Storm”, “Category 3 Hurricane”).
The lower bound wind speed for a storm of
this category.
The upper bound wind speed for a storm of
this category.
d.
hurricanes.txt – Report text file to format in Word.
e.
hurricane.png – Image of a hurricane for use in PowerPoint.
Microsoft Access Portion
2.
Begin by creating a new Microsoft Access database named
lastname_firstname_hdp.accdb .
3.
Import the structure and data of the tables from cpifactors.xml,
hurricanes.xml, and hurricanescale.xml into your new database.
4.
Create the appropriate relationships for the following tables. Enforce referential
integrity, but do not enable cascade updates or cascade deletes.
a.
Hurricanes and HurricaneScale
b.
Hurricanes and CPIFactors
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HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
5.
Create separate queries to provide the information requested below. Name
each query after the step in which it appears (e.g., name the query in Step 5a
as Query5A ).
HINT: Run your queries to test them. Make sure that they display all and only
the records that you would expect to appear.
a.
Create a new query that lists each hurricane’s name, its year, start date,
and the number of deaths. Include a calculated field to find the estimated
damage in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars.
You can calculate the estimated damage in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars
using the formula:
[𝐻𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒] ∗ [𝐶𝑃𝐼𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠. 𝐶𝑃𝐼𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟]
Format the calculated field as currency with no decimal places. Sort by
start date in ascending order.
HINT: This query will show 686 records and 5 fields.
b.
Make a new query. For each year, calculate the number of hurricanes, the
total number of deaths, and the total amount of damage.
Do not include Tropical Storms or Tropical Depressions in the result. Do
not show the storm category in the result.
Format the total amount of damage as currency with no decimal places.
Sort by year in ascending order.
HINT: For the storm category field, change the Total option from
Group By to Where.
HINT: This query will show 62 records and 4 fields.
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Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
c.
We would like to generate statistics on the number of retired hurricane
names. For this query, copy-and-paste the below SQL code:
SELECT Hurricanes.HurricaneYear, (Count(HurricaneName)Retired) AS [Non-Retired], Sum(IIf(RetiredName,1,0)) AS
Retired
FROM Hurricanes
GROUP BY Hurricanes.HurricaneYear
ORDER BY Hurricanes.HurricaneYear;
IMPORTANT: Do not make any modifications to this query other than
entering the above SQL code.
HINT: This query will show 62 records and 3 fields.
d.
We need to gather statistics on all our recorded hurricanes. For this
query, copy-and-paste the below SQL code.
SELECT Hurricanes.HurricaneName, Hurricanes.HurricaneYear,
Hurricanes.StartDate, Hurricanes.EndDate,
HurricaneScale.CategoryName, Hurricanes.MaxWindSpeed,
Hurricanes.MinPressure, Hurricanes.Deaths, Hurricanes.Damage
FROM HurricaneScale INNER JOIN Hurricanes ON
HurricaneScale.CategoryID = Hurricanes.MaxCategoryID
ORDER BY Hurricanes.StartDate;
IMPORTANT: Do not make any modifications to this query other than
entering the above SQL code.
HINT: This query will show 686 records and 9 fields.
6.
Run the Compact and Repair Database utility on your database. Ignore any
errors you receive when running the utility.
Microsoft Excel Portion
7.
Create a new Microsoft Excel workbook named
lastname_firstname_hdp.xlsx .
8.
We must adjust the sheets in our workbook.
a.
Rename Sheet1 to Retired Names .
b.
Add a new sheet named Hurricanes .
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HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
9.
We need to import the results of our Microsoft Access queries into the new
Microsoft Excel workbook.
a.
We wish to import the results of Query5C into the Retired Names sheet.
This query returns information on retired hurricane names on an annual
basis.
Using the DATA ribbon, import the data from Query5C of your Microsoft
Access database and place it starting in cell A1. View the data as a table.
b.
We want to import the results of Query5D into the Hurricanes sheet. This
query returns statistics on all recorded hurricanes.
Using the DATA ribbon, import the data from Query5D of your Microsoft
Access database and place it starting in cell A1. View the data as a table.
10. We would like to create a chart to display information on the retired hurricane
names.
Create a new 2-D clustered column chart based on cells A1 through C63 of the
Retired Names sheet. Move the chart to a new sheet named Retired Names
Chart .
Ensure that the years are shown as labels for the horizontal (category) axis,
not plotted as chart data. Specify appropriate chart and axis titles.
11. To better understand our data, we wish to create a PivotChart with an
associated PivotTable.
a.
Create a new PivotChart and PivotTable based on the data in cells A1
through I687 of the Hurricanes sheet. Place the PivotTable on a new
sheet named Hurricanes PivotTable and move the PivotChart to a new
sheet named Hurricanes PivotChart.
b.
On the PivotTable, do the following:
i.
Add the year as a Rows field.
ii.
Add the category name as a Columns field.
iii.
Add the deaths as a Values field.
c.
There is nothing to do for this step. Please proceed to the next step.
d.
We need to perform some formatting on the PivotChart.
i.
Change the chart type to a 2-D stacked column chart.
ii.
Specify appropriate chart and axis titles.
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HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
Microsoft Word Portion
12. Create a new Microsoft Word document named
lastname_firstname_hdp.docx .
13. Insert a cover page using the built-in Sideline style. On the cover page, include
the information noted below.
a.
Company: The words Computer Science 101 Section followed by the
section number in which you are enrolled.
b.
Title: Hurricanes
c.
Subtitle: Causes, Effects, and Classification
d.
Author: Your first and last name.
e.
Date: The current date.
14. Insert a second page if one does not already exist. On it, copy-and-paste the
contents of the file hurricanes.txt .
NOTE: The imported text file contains directions and comments (inside of “<>”
symbols) for use in formatting the document. You should remove these
directions and comments once you have applied the formatting specified.
15. Where indicated, include the chart from the Hurricanes PivotChart sheet in your
Microsoft Excel workbook. Size the chart to be 4-inches high by 6.5-inches
wide. Be sure to include a caption for the chart.
16. Where indicated, insert a new equation using the Microsoft Word equation tool
representing the formula below. Your formula must identically reproduce:
𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒
𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑠
17. At the end of the document, we wish to create a bibliography page.
a.
Define the following sources as references for your report.
i.
Type: Web site
◊
Name of web page: Weather Underground Home Page
◊
Name of web site: Weather Underground
◊
Date: November 8, 2008
◊
Date accessed: November 8, 2008
◊
URL: http://www.weatherunderground.com
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Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
ii.
iii.
b.
Type: Web site
◊
Name of web page: USAToday.com
◊
Name of web site: USA Today
◊
Date: May 17, 2005
◊
Date accessed: November 8, 2008
◊
URL:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/whscale.htm
Type: Book
◊
Author: Douglas Brinkley
◊
Title: The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New
Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
◊
Year: 2006
◊
City: New York City
◊
Publisher: HarperCollins
Where indicated on the last page, insert a Bibliography-style bibliography
using an APA style.
18. We must finish formatting our document.
a.
Apply the formatting and changes to your report text as specified by the
included comments.
Remove the included comments from your document once you have
applied the required formatting.
b.
Ensure your document conforms to the following requirements:
i.
Modify the Normal formatting style to specify Verdana 11-point as
the default font.
ii.
In the right-hand corner of the header on all pages after the cover
page, list your last name followed by the page number. The page
number should begin at 1 on the first actual page of text (the page
after the cover page).
iii.
The first line of your text paragraphs should be indented by 0.5inch. Do not indent the cover page, headings, images, captions,
equations, or bibliography.
iv.
Except on the cover page, use double line spacing.
v.
Ensure that there is no (0-point) line spacing before and after each
paragraph except on the cover page.
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HOMEWORK INSTRUCTIONS
Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
vi.
Use 1.0-inch margins on all sides.
vii.
Delete any duplicate line breaks.
NOTE: This includes spaces between paragraphs and spaces
between or after headings.
Microsoft PowerPoint Portion
19. Create a new Microsoft PowerPoint presentation named
lastname_firstname_hdp.pptx .
20. In the presentation, create the following slides:
a.
Title Slide-type slide listing a title for the presentation, your name, course
section, and an automatically-updating date.
b.
Title and Content-type slide titled Retired Hurricane Names . Include
the chart from the Retired Names Chart sheet of your Microsoft Excel
workbook.
21. Create Title and Content-type slides to answer four of the five below analysis
questions, one question per slide. Title the slide with the name of the question
being answered (e.g., "Question A").
a.
The Hurricanes PivotChart chart reveals several spikes in deaths during
the early 1960s, 1970s and late 1990s. Identify the key hurricanes that
comprise the majority of these spikes.
b.
Why do most hurricanes form during the so-called Hurricane Season,
lasting from June 1 to November 30?
c.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a method of measuring the
intensity of a hurricane based on maximum wind speed. Is the SaffirSimpson category of a hurricane, as determined by its maximum wind
speed, a good predictor of the damages it will cause? Why or why not?
d.
Hurricane detection and tracking tools have become significantly more
sophisticated over the last 50 years of hurricane history. Give examples of
at least two technologies that have improved hurricane detection and
tracking.
e.
Are there any weather or climate phenomena associated with increased
hurricane activity? Explain your answer.
22. We wish to apply formatting to our presentation. Use your best judgment to
create a professional-looking presentation.
a.
Apply one slide design of your choice to all slides.
b.
Apply an animation of your choice to the Retired Hurricane Names chart.
c.
Apply slide transitions of your choice to all of your slides.
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Homework #6
Hurricane Damages Problem
d.
Edit the parent (top-most) slide master to add the hurricane.png image to
the bottom-left corner of all slides. Size the image to be 0.5-inches high
by 0.5-inches wide.
NOTE: Depending on the slide design used, the image may not appear on
title slides. This is acceptable as long as the image is correctly added to
the slide master.
e.
Add your name, an automatically-updating date, and the slide number to
the footer of all slides except the title slide.
Assignment Requirements
You must submit all four files (Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word) for this assignment.
Grading Rubric
This assignment is worth 50 points and will be graded based upon the listed
components. Instructors may adjust point values as they deem appropriate.
Step 3
Steps 4a-c
Steps 5a-b
Steps 5c-d
Steps 8a-b
Steps 9a-b
Step 10
Steps 11a-d
Steps 13a-e
2 points
1.5 points total
2.5 points each
1 points each
1 points total
1.5 points total
3 points
5 points total
2.5 points total
Step 14
Step 15
Step 16
Steps 17a-b
Steps 18a-b
Steps 20a-b
Steps 21a-e (pick 4 of 5)
Steps 22a-e
2.5 points
1.5 points
1.5 points
2.5 points total
3.5 points total
2.5 points total
2.5 points each
2.5 points total
Acknowledgments
The image in the introduction appears courtesy of NASA [4].
References
[1] “Consumer Price Index (CPI),” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Available:
http://www.bls.gov/cpi/.
[2] “Hurricane and Tropical Cyclones,” Weather Underground. Available:
http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/hurrarchive.asp.
[3] “Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Oct.
01, 2015. Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saffir%E2%80%93Simpson_hurrica
ne_wind_scale&oldid=683683350. Accessed: Oct. 01, 2015.
[4] J. Schmaltz, Hurricane Katrina: August 28, 2005. 2005. Available:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hurricane_Katrina_August_28_2005_
NASA.jpg.
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