Evaluation of Interlaboratory Geochemical Data: some Considerations on the Abbey-Rousseau Debate, the Meaningfulness of the Median and other Topics

STARTING FROM THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED ABBEY-ROUSSEAU DEBATE, THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE METHODS MOST COMMONLY USED TO EVALUATE INTER- LABORATORY GEOCHEMICAL DATA FOR A SEARCH OF "BEST" VALUES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT WHEREAS NO METHOD CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY TAKEN AS DE- FINITIVE, THE SELECT-LABORATORIES, DYBCZYNSKI, MEDIAN AND MODE ME- THODS CAN BE REGARDED AS GENERAL, COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO DATA HANDLING, OTHER METHODS BEING ON THE CONTRARY OF MORE RESTRICTED APPLICATION AS MORE DISTRIBUTION-PATTERN DEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF THE ELUSIVE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM, A MULTIPLE METHOD APPROACH TO BE AGREED AND STANDARDIZED BY THE GEOSCIENTIST COMMUNITY IS SUGGESTED. IN ASSISTANCE TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE "BEST" ESTIMATE, THE VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE DATA DISTRIBUTION THROUGH THE PLOT OF THE ORDERED DATA VS THEIR RANK, SHOULD BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF IT. THE IMPORTANCE OF ASCRIBING REALISTIC CONFIDENCE INTERVALS TO ANY DERIVED VALUE IS ALSO POINTED OUT.

COLOMBO Angelo; 

1995-03-15

JRC4198

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC4198,