Vision : New techniques and technologies in statistics (Q1584191)

Futurists tend to paint broad visions based on premises that appear plausible. The fundamental accuracy of the premise of a futurist's vision is sometimes a matter of debate, and no doubt the premise of the vision which is painted in this paper is open to some substantial debate as well. This paper attempts to paint a futurist's vision for data analysts and in doing so discusses some of the tools and techniques likely to be used. A major premise of this vision is that mathematical statistics like classical mechanics is essentially a completed discipline. Moreover, that changes in the nature, modes of collection, and scales of data imply new tools and techniques is inevitable. Complexity of algorithms and data structures imply an increased focus on algorithmic efficiency and more automated procedures. Suggestions for advancements in theory are made with respect to data mining, visualization and quantization methods. Suggestions are also made on likely architectures for digital text and data libraries, for modes of accessing distributed databases, and for the implications on collaboration.