Selecting a Scientific Graphing and Data Analysis Software

Selecting a Scientific Graphing and Data Analysis Software

5. What is the single most important feature to consider when selecting a scientific graphing and data analysis software?

   While different users have different criteria and expectations from their scientific graphing and data analysis software, research indicates that the single most important feature in software selection is ease-of-use.

6. What is "ease-of-use?"

   Ease-of-use is defined by different users in different ways. For some users, it means that analysis tools provide powerful features in a simple presentation. For others, it suggests fast data access and plotting - which enhances productivity. Yet for others, ease-of-use implies an intuitive design of the interface.

   The following characteristics of scientific graphing and data analysis software encompass ease-of-use:

   Easy, fast access of data

   Access a wide variety of data in a large number of formats easily and quickly. Fast data import is particularly important for scientists who frequently work with large datasets.

   Interactive and fast graphics

   Provide data exploration tools that allow you to highlight, manipulate, and interact with plotted data. Additionally, the graphs should be easy to customize and they should update quickly as you make changes.

   Simplified analysis tools

   Provide a broad range of analysis tools that are easy to use but fully functional. A well-designed tool allows you to control all the aspects of the analysis through an intuitive interface.

   Publication-quality output

   Easily create powerful presentations within the software, or provide graphic export filters or OLE to place your graphs in a presentation software package. The scientific graphing and data analysis software should allow you to easily create reports, combining multiple graphs on the same page, as well as worksheets and text.

   Automation of routine tasks

   Automate routine or repetitive tasks using simple programming commands. The scientific graphing and data analysis software should allow you to build applications to meet your specific data analysis and plotting needs.

7. Is data access easy and fast?

   A software that does not allow easy and quick data access will force you to spend most of your time importing and organizing data instead of analyzing data. Many users regard this as the single most important factor in choosing their software. When reviewing the data import capability of a software, consider the following:

   Variety

   The software should allow you to import a wide variety of data formats, including ASCII files. Look for a software that can import your ASCII files with minimal modification of the default import options. If you work with nonstandard ASCII files, look for a software that allows you to create custom import routines.

   Presentation

   The software should present the data in a familiar, spreadsheet-like format to facilitate data processing and manipulation.

   Speed

   This is a factor often overlooked by users. Slow data import can be a serious bottleneck, forcing you to spend a large amount of your time importing rather than analyzing data.

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