Course environment

Course environment#

The environment for this course is similar to that of the Geo-Python and Introduction to Quantitative Geology courses 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.

Cloud computing environment#

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

Please note that only files stored in the my-work folder in the CSC Noppe will be preserved on that platform. Thus you should always remember to push your changes to GitHub!

CSC Noppe#

Noppe by CSC (https://noppe.csc.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 system).

Note

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

  1. Log in at https://noppe.csc.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 Geodynamic Modelling 2026 workspace using the join code b1hkj3n8yw5a

After joining the group, you should be able to view the course environments called Introduction to Geodynamic Modelling 2026 near the top of the Application list.

You can find more detailed instructions about how to join a CSC Notebooks workspace on the Geo-Python course website.

Note

To access the notebooks for the lessons or exercises in this course:

  1. Create your personal copy of the lesson/exercise from the Exercise notebooks in GitHub Classroom page.

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

  3. Click on the Git icon on the left side

  4. Click on the Clone a Repository button

  5. Enter the address address of your copy of the lesson/exercise (which can be found on the webpage for your copy of the repository on GitHub) and click Clone

  6. You can now access the lesson/exercise in the my-work/ folder

Remember to save your work!

Using your own computer#

We recommend that everyone use the CSC Noppe during this course. It is possible to complete the Python exercises using your own computer, but you will need to install Python and use the Python environment files for this course.