ABSTRACT
Often the data in the EDMS will be used for further processing and analysis, such as statistical calculations. The large data sets used on many environmental projects often require that a statistical approach be used to determine the significant relationships, because these relationships may not be apparent by direct inspection of the large volume of data. There are a number of issues that must be addressed if the statistical results are to be valid. This chapter addresses some of these issues, and some of the statistical analyses that can be performed to provide a greater understanding of site conditions. Statistics is a very old and much-studied field, and this chapter merely scratches the surface. An understanding of statistics is important in analyzing environmental data. 80% of environmental professionals are afraid of statistics (OK, I made that up, but it’s not too far off), and knowing something about statistics and how they should and should not be applied is a useful skill for those working with environmental data.
