National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
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The Future of Statistical Software

Proceedings of a Forum

Panel on Guidelines for Statistical Software

Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics

Board on Mathematical Sciences

Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications

National Research Council

National Academy Press
Washington, D.C.
1991

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievement of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Stuart Bondurant is acting president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

The National Research Council established the Board on Mathematical Sciences in 1984. The objectives of the Board are to maintain awareness and active concern for the health of the mathematical sciences and to serve as the focal point in the National Research Council for issues connected with the mathematical sciences. In addition, the Board is designed to conduct studies for federal agencies and maintain liaison with the mathematical sciences communities and academia, professional societies, and industry.

Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 91-66874

International Standard Book Number 0-309-04599-1

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

S467

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

PANEL ON GUIDELINES FOR STATISTICAL SOFTWARE

WILLIAM F. EDDY,

Carnegie Mellon University,

Chair

SALLY E. HOWE,

National Institute of Standards and Technology

BARBARA F. RYAN,

Minitab, Inc.

ROBERT F. TEITEL,

Abt Associates, Inc.

FORREST W. YOUNG,

University of North Carolina

JOHN R. TUCKER, Staff Officer

COMMITTEE ON APPLIED AND THEORETICAL STATISTICS

WILLIAM F. EDDY,

Carnegie Mellon University,

Chair

YVONNE BISHOP,

U.S. Department of Energy

DONALD P. GAVER,

Naval Postgraduate School

PREM K. GOEL,

Ohio State University

DOUGLAS M. HAWKINS,

University of Minnesota

DAVID G. HOEL,

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

JON KETTENRING,

Bellcore

CARL N. MORRIS,

Harvard University

KARL E. PEACE,

Biopharmaceutical Research Consultants

JAYARAM SETHURAMAN,

Florida State University

JOHN R. TUCKER, Staff Officer

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

BOARD ON MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

SHMUEL WINOGRAD,

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center,

Chair

RONALD DOUGLAS,

State University of New York-Stony Brook,

Vice-Chair

LAWRENCE D. BROWN,

Cornell University

SUN-YUNG A. CHANG,

University of California at Los Angeles

JOEL E. COHEN,

Rockefeller University

AVNER FRIEDMAN,

University of Minnesota

JOHN F. GEWEKE,

University of Minnesota

JAMES GLIMM,

State University of New York-Stony Brook

PHILLIP A. GRIFFITHS,

Institute for Advanced Study

DIANE LAMBERT,

AT&T Bell Laboratories

GERALD J. LIEBERMAN,

Stanford University

RONALD F. PEIERLS,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

JEROME SACKS,

National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Ex Officio Member

WILLIAM F. EDDY,

Carnegie Mellon University

Chair,

Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics

Staff

JOHN E. LAVERY, Director

JO NEVILLE, Administrative Secretary

RUTH E. O'BRIEN, Staff Associate

HANS OSER, Staff Officer

JOHN R. TUCKER, Staff Officer

JAMES A. VOYTUK, Senior Staff Officer

SCOTT T. WEIDMAN, Senior Staff Officer

BARBARA WRIGHT, Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS, AND APPLICATIONS

NORMAN HACKERMAN,

Robert A. Welch Foundation,

Chair

PETER J. BICKEL,

University of California at Berkeley

GEORGE F. CARRIER, Professor Emeritus,

Harvard University

DEAN E. EASTMAN,

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

MARYE ANNE FOX,

University of Texas-Austin

PHILLIP A. GRIFFITHS,

Institute for Advanced Study

NEAL F. LANE,

Rice University

ROBERT W. LUCKY,

AT&T Bell Laboratories

CLAIRE E. MAX,

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory

CHRISTOPHER F. MCKEE,

University of California at Berkeley

JAMES W. MITCHELL,

AT&T Bell Laboratories

RICHARD S. NICHOLSON,

American Association for the Advancement of Science

ALAN SCHRIESHEIM,

Argonne National Laboratory

KENNETH G. WILSON,

Ohio State University

NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

Preface

The Panel on Guidelines for Statistical Software was organized in 1990 by the National Research Council's Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics for the purpose of

  • documenting, assessing, and prioritizing problem areas regarding the quality and reliability of statistical software;

  • presenting to producers and users prototype guidelines in high-priority areas for the evaluation (based on established statistical principles) of statistical software packages; and

  • making recommendations in the form of a plan for further discussion, research, testing, and implementation of guidelines involving the statistical computing, user, and producer communities.

The findings of the panel will be presented in a future report and at meetings of concerned groups, including professional societies, to stimulate such further work. The panel's guidelines will be accompanied by benchmark test data or descriptive material from which such data can be constructed. The panel will not endorse or censure specific statistical software products, but rather will offer general guidelines and broad objectives and evaluation criteria useful to statistical software users and developers, and designed to facilitate and focus further work on the subject.

On February 22, 1991, the panel held a public forum, “The Future of Statistical Software,” so as to gather material for its deliberations from a wide range of statistical scientists from academe, industry, and government. These proceedings have been compiled to document that input. However, the opinions expressed in this volume are those of the speakers or discussants and do not necessarily represent the views of the Panel on Guidelines for Statistical Software or of the National Research Council.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
×

Contents

 

 

Morning Session Opening Remarks
Barbara Ryan, Minitab, Inc.

 

1

 

 

Richness for the One-Way ANOVA Layout
Keith E. Muller, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

 

3

 

 

Serendipitous Data and Future Statistical Software
Paul F. Velleman, Cornell University

 

15

 

 

Morning Discussion

 

23

 

 

Afternoon Session Opening Remarks
Forrest Young, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

 

33

 

 

An Industry View
Andrew Kirsch, 3M

 

37

 

 

Guidance for One-Way ANOVA
William DuMouchel, BBN Software Products

 

43

 

 

Incorporating Statistical Expertise into Data Analysis Software
Daryl Pregibon, AT&T Bell Laboratories

 

51

 

 

Afternoon Discussion

 

63

 

 

Closing Remarks
William Eddy, Carnegie Mellon University

 

69

 

 

Appendixes

 

 

   

A. Speakers

 

75

   

B. Position Statements

 

77

   

C. Forum Participants

 

85

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1991. The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1910.
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This book presents guidelines for the development and evaluation of statistical software designed to ensure minimum acceptable statistical functionality as well as ease of interpretation and use. It consists of the proceedings of a forum that focused on three qualities of statistical software: richness—the availability of layers of output sophistication, guidance—how the package helps a user do an analysis and do it well, and exactness—determining if the output is "correct" and when and how to warn of potential problems.

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