Discussion

Control languages used to specify experimental designs to ANOVA programs must have syntax and semantics to express several different types of information about the data and their analysis. The languages associated with several widely distributed ANOVA programs are compared for their flexibility and legibility in expressing the set of designs encountered in design texts. The types of output of the programs are listed.     

Discussion

A number of studies have investigated the numerical reliability of the GAUSS Mathematical and Statistical System by Aptech Inc. Those studies identified several critical accuracy errors for different computational methods. We conducted comprehensive tests of this widely used package on estimation, statistical distributions, and random number generation and found that GAUSS 8.0 still has serious problems, especially with statistical distributions and random number generation.     

Discussion

This report is the product of the Task Force on State and Local Government Statistics formed by the ASA Committee on Government Statistics. The Task Force began its work in March 1985 because of a growing concern among ASA members that state and local governments were undertaking many statistical programs and functions of which the ASA had little knowledge and for which it had little role in supporting, and because of the potential and real impacts of federal policy changes and budget reductions on state statistical programs. The report examines the need for state and local government statistical policy, reviews current practice, summarizes elements of a statistical policy, proposes alternative models for organizing the statistical policy function, and makes recommendations for further action.