Shell NET Capstone - Project Overview and Scope

PVAMU Senior Design capstone sponsored by Shell's Nature and Environmental Technology (NET) team. Our team is on the Data Visualization track. The sponsor wants visualization built first (fast to demo), with predictive forecasting layered on later using the same data - not two separate efforts.

• Sponsor team: Shell NET (formerly "nature-based solutions"), focused on Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of environmental data.
• Two-part goal, sponsor wants both eventually: (1) an accessible web/mobile dashboard - his words, "like a weather app but with history" - and (2) predictive forecasting on the same data as a phase-2 goal. Visualization is priority #1 because it's fast to demo.
• Data source: a real, ongoing $5M PVAMU-Shell soil carbon sequestration research project (Prof. Ram Ray), 8 eddy covariance flux towers live since May 2023. FLUXNET data also available.
• Data access: Shell already has the dataset. A Shell colleague will transfer it once our team is ready, and will demo Shell's own internal visualization tool as a reference point.
• Sponsor's target timeline (his words): first results by end of October-November 2026.
• Real upside: sponsor offered to fund travel for an external conference presentation if the work turns out well, and confirmed a real paid summer internship pathway through his own team specifically (separate from the general Shell program) - he's sponsored CS/engineering students before (Berkeley, UIUC, 8-10 week summer program).
• Open items: confirm the Shell data contact's name/spelling, and get the exact class deadlines from our course instructor.