Problem Description: what is the question you want to answer and how you plan to answer it. State the  questions/tasks you want to answer/complete in your project (note that these may very well evolve during the course of your project).
Data: indicate the data you identified as available and suitable to answer the question and why that data is suitable to answer your question.  Include a description of the anticipated processing and transformations you plan to make on this data
Analysis: what analytical tools and methodology you envision to use to answer the question
References: include information about papers, reports, existing work or other references that are related to your project. At this stage you do not have to have studied these references, but you must be familiar enough with the proposal idea to have identified resources that will support and guide your analysis.
Deliverable: what is the deliverable you expect to produce (a statistical conclusion, a graphical tool, an algorithm that can be used in the future e.g. by agencies, etc.)