Page 15 - Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology

Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology - Chapter 1

academic world, resulting in an increasing emphasis on computer languages and
mathematical skills in the training of geologists. Unfortunately, there is no broad
heritage of mathematical analysis in geology-adequate educational programs have
been established only in scattered institutions, through the efforts of a handful of
people.
Many older geologists have been caught short in the computer revolution. Ed-
ucated in a tradition that emphasized the qualitative and descriptive at the ex-
pense of the quantitative and analytical, these Earth scientists are inadequately
prepared in mathematics and distrustful of statistics. Even so, members of the
profession quickly grasped the potential importance of procedures that comput-
ers now make so readily available. Many institutions, both commercial and public,
provide extensive libraries of computer programs that will implement geomathe-
matical applications. Software and data are widely distributed over the World Wide
Web through organizations such as the International Association for Mathematical
Geology (http://www.iamg.org/). The temptation is strong, perhaps irresistible, to
utilize these computer programs, even though the user may not clearly understand
the underlying principles on which the programs are based.
The development and explosive proliferation of personal computers has accel-
erated this trend. In the quarter-century since the first appearance of this book,
computers have progressed from mainframes of ponderous dimensions (but mi-
nuscule capacity) to small cubes that perch on the corner of a desk and contain
the power of a supercomputer. Any geologist can buy an inexpensive computer
for personal use that will perform more computations faster than the largest main-
frame computers that served entire corporations and universities only a few short
years ago. For many geologists, a personal computer has replaced a small army of
secretaries, draftsmen, and bookkeepers. However, these ubiquitous plastic boxes
with their colorful screens seem to promise much more than just word-processing
and spreadsheet calculations-if only geologists knew how to put them to use in
their professional work.
This book is designed to help alleviate the difficulties of geologists who feel
that they can gain from a quantitative approach to their research, but are inade-
quately prepared by training or experience. Ideally, of course, these people should
receive formal instruction in probability, statistics, numerical analysis, and pro-
gramming; then they should study under a qualified geomathematician. Such an
ideal is unrealistic for all but a few fortunate individuals. Most must make their way
as best they can, reading, questioning, and educating themselves by trial and error.
The path followed by the unschooled is not an orderly progression through top-
ics laid out in curriculum-wise fashion. The novice proceeds backwards, attracted
first to those methods that seem to offer the greatest help in the research, explo-
ration, or operational problems being addressed. Later the self-taught amateur fills
in gaps in his or her background and attempts to master the precepts of the tech-
niques that have been applied. This unsatisfactory and even dangerous method
of education, comparable perhaps to a physician learning by on-the-job training,
is one many people seem destined to follow. The aim of this book is to introduce
organization into the self-educational process, and guide the impatient neophyte
rapidly through the necessary initial steps to a glittering algorithmic Grail. Along
the way, readers will be exposed to those less glamorous topics that constitute the
foundations upon which geomathematical procedures are built.

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