Software
The following is a list of the Data Analysis Software currently available on the BSC campus, and the corresponding computer labs that have the software installed. For more general information on the software click on the software. For a tutorial on the how to use the software please refer to the tutorial page.
Arc View - Olin Computer Lab
Excel - Most Computers Across Campus
SPSS - Most Computers Across Campus
Matlab - Olin Computer Lab
Maple - Olin Computer Lab
Minitab - Olin Computer Lab
ArcView is a Desktop Mapping/GIS package developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). It is a popular package because of its easy to use GUI interface. Initially developed to provide a quick and easy way to display, query through, and navigate around vector based spatial data-sets. ArcView's functionality has increased dramatically by he introduction of add-on "Extensions". For those who are more programming oriented, ArcView also has a script interface which can be used to run program written in AVENUE, ArcView's object oriented programming language. Currently ArcView 3.3 is the default version available in AFS
Excel is a spreadsheet program with sophisticated charting and database functions that allow you to quickly and easily: Perform both simple and complex calculations, Filter data from a database or spreadsheet list, and chart data in numerous formats.
Maple is a general purpose computer algebra system, designed to solve mathematical problems and produce high-quality technical graphics. It is easy to learn, but powerful enough to calculate difficult integrals in seconds. Maple incorporates a high-level programming language which allows the user to define his own procedures; it also has packages of specialized functions which may be loaded to do work in group theory, linear algebra, and statistics, as well as in other fields. It can be used interactively or in batch mode, for teaching or research. (http://www.indiana.edu/~statmath/math/maple/overview.html)
Matlab (Matrix Laboratory) is an interactive software system for numerical computations and graphics. As the name suggests, Matlab is especially designed for matrix computations: solving systems of linear equations, computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors, factoring matrices, and so forth. In addition, it has a variety of graphical capabilities, and can be extended through programs written in its own programming language. Many such programs come with the system; a number of these extend Matlab's capabilities to nonlinear problems, such as the solution of initial value problems for ordinary differential equations. (http://www.math.mtu.edu)
Minitab was originally designed as a tool to be used in teaching statistics. Its interactive features make it well suited to instructional applications, and Minitab's greatest popularity remains as a teaching tool. However, Minitab is sufficiently powerful that it is also used by many people in analyzing research data. (http://www.indiana.edu/~statmath/stat/minitab/overview.html)
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a data management and analysis product produced by SPSS, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. Among its features are modules for statistical data analysis, including descriptive statistics such as plots, frequencies, charts, and lists, as well as sophisticated inferential and multivariate statistical procedures like analysis of variance (ANOVA), factor analysis, cluster analysis, and categorical data analysis. SPSS is particularly well-suited to survey research, though by no means is it limited to just this topic of exploration. (http://www.utexas.edu/cc/stat/software/spss/#Intro)