Course environment

The environment for this course is quite similar to that of the Geo-Python course that many of you may have already taken. Thus we present here only details that are relevant for this course in the points below. For all other items, we suggest you check the description of the Geo-Python course environment.

1. Cloud computing environments CSC Noppe (formerly CSC Notebooks) or Binder

Cloud computing environments

We will use cloud-based computing environments (CSC Noppe or Binder) to access interactive online version of the lessons and to work on the weekly exercises. You can use the cloud computing environments with any computer as long as it has a reasonably fast internet connection and a web browser.

Please note that the Binder cloud computing environment is completely temporary, and only files stored in the my-work folder in CSC Noppe will be preserved on that platform. Thus you should always remember to push your changes to GitHub!

Different options for making the lesson interactive

Each interactive lesson and exercise will have a launch button for both CSC Noppe and Binder. The CSC Noppe environment is preferred, but only accessible to students from Finnish universities and research institutes.

CSC Noppe

CSC Noppe (https://noppe.2.rahtiapp.fi) is a computing environment hosted by the Finnish IT Center for Science (CSC). The CSC Noppe platform is used for running Jupyter Notebooks in a customized environment. CSC Noppe is available only for students who are affiliated with Finnish universities and research institutes (via the Haka user authentication).

Note

When using the CSC Noppe platform for the first time, you need to join the group created for this course:

1. Log in at https://noppe.2.rahtiapp.fi/

2. Select Haka for the authentication provider

3. Enter your Finnish university login credentials

4. Click on the Join workspace button on the top left

5. Join the Introduction to Quantitative Geology 2025 workspace using the join code cfoxuok65ssw

After joining the group, you should be able to view the course environments called Introduction to Quantitative Geology 2025 near the top of the Application list.

Launching the instance takes a few moments.

Note

After launching the Introduction to Quantitative Geology 2025 workspace the first time:

1. Double-click on the my-work folder in the file navigator on the left side of the Jupyter Lab window

2. Click on the Git icon on the left side

3. Click on the Clone a Repository button

4. Enter the address https://github.com/IntroQG/notebooks.git and click Clone

5. You can now access the lesson notebooks in the my-work/notebooks folder

Note

Repeat these steps every time when starting to work on a programming task using CSC Noppe:

1. Log in at https://noppe.2.rahtiapp.fi/

2. Select Haka for the authentication provider

3. Enter your Finnish university login credentials

4. Click on the Start session button for the Introduction to Quantitative Geology 2025 workspace

5. Navigate to the my-work/notebooks directory, click on the Git icon on the left and click the Pull latest changes

Remember to save your work!

Binder

Binder (https://mybinder.org/) also runs Jupyter Notebooks in your web browser in a customized environment. The original files (notebooks) are hosted on GitHub. Binder does not require the user to log in, you can just click on the link in the lesson / exercise and start working.

Binder takes a few moments to load

Once the instance is ready, you can navigate to the lesson folders and start working with existing notebooks or create a new one.

Remember to save your work! The Binder instance is temporary, and all your files will be lost after the session.

Using your own computer

We recommend that everyone use the available cloud computing environments during this course. In case you want to work on your own computer, you will need to install Python (via Miniconda).