Other Statistics Software: surveys, data mining, specialty programs
These are other Macintosh software packages used for data analysis beyond those for regression, ANOVA, or time series analysis. You may also wish to see the list of general-purpose mathematical analysis packages. Don't forget to see the bottom of the page for software that's been abandoned but may still be useful in Classic.
Graphing and data visualization packages are on another page.
Updated 4/26/2011
Survey software
Mediata Survey
Configurations Available: Mac, Windows
Current Version: 3.02
Price: $99
Listing updated 4-26-2011
Surveys are created from a desktop program, in php and MySQL (or PostgreSQL). Free trial allows up to ten submissions. Supports multiple page surveys (you control the number of items per page) as well as matrix questions. Allows multiple surveys for multiple domains; you can set different rules, conditions, and options based on answers. There is an invitation manager as well. The program uses html templates which can be modified. Analysis includes graphics. Exports to CVS, text, and html.
A brief test shows that usage is fairly clunky, with questions requiring lengthy wizards that demand clicks to add each answer option, a system that can get tedious very quickly; admittedly freeform-style entry is rare for survey software, but a keyboard command for "add option" and other frequent actions would save considerable time. When the survey is previewed, the html source appears moderately wasteful, with a separate span for questions and question text; but we've seen worse. We were unable to create a survey script on the Mac without an SQL database, suggesting that you’re meant to create the survey on the server itself rather than creating on a desktop and then uploading, which is unrealistic for most people; but there are probably workarounds for that.
(thanks to Nadine Macolini for finding this one)
Other options
Windows survey software we have tested was excessively hard to use and/or hideously overpriced. The two best options we’ve seen are the free, open-source LimeSurvey, and SurveySaid (an online program which generates html or Java code, which the user can host on their own servers to maintain security; thanks, Marty Einhorn.)
There are also free and moderately priced Web-based solutions, but these all seem to require you to store data on their servers, which is inappropriate or unwise for many surveys. Some are also slow for the respondents or make it clear that you are using a free service.
Geographic resources
GRASS
Configurations Available: Mac, Linux, Windows
Current Version: 6
Price: Free (and open source)
Listing updated 12-1-2010
Michael Barton pointed out that GRASS is used for geographic resources data management, image processing, graphics production, spatial modelling, and visualization of many types of data. It is an official project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation.
Originally developed by the Army as a tool for land management and environmental planning, GRASS is a powerful utility with a wide range of applications in many different areas of scientific research. GRASS is currently used in academic, government, and commercial settings.
GRASS 6 added a new topological 2D/3D vector engine and support for vector network analysis. Attributes are now managed in a SQL-based DBMS. A new display manager has been implemented. The NVIZ visualization tool was enhanced to display 3D vector data and voxel volumes. Messages are partially translated with support for FreeType fonts, including multibyte Asian characters. New LOCATIONs can be auto-generated by EPSG code number. GRASS is integrated with GDAL/OGR libraries to support an extensive range of raster and vector formats, including OGC-conformal Simple Features.
Quantum GIS
Configurations Available: Mac, Linux, Windows
Current Version: 1.6
Price: Free (and open source)
Listing updated 12-1-2010
Quantum GIS is a somewhat less powerful but easy to use GIS package for Mac, Linux, and Windows. It is also an Open Source Geospatial Foundation project, and it supports numerous vector, raster, and database formats and functions.
GMT for geographic and Cartesian data
Configurations Available: Mac (under X11), Linux, UNIX, OS/2, Windows [requires Cygwin or VirtualBox for full function]
Current Version: 4.5.5 (released Nov. 2010)
Price: Free (and open source)
Listing updated 12-1-2010
GMT is an open source collection of many tools for manipulating geographic and Cartesian data sets (including filtering, trend fitting, gridding, projecting, etc.) and producing Encapsulated PostScript File (EPS) illustrations ranging from simple x-y plots via contour maps to artificially illuminated surfaces and 3-D perspective views.
Other software
RapidMiner (data mining)
Configurations available: OS X (Intel only), Windows, UNIX
Current version: 4.5
Price: free (open source) for community edition; pricey standard edition
Listing updated 10/1/09
Commercial open source software said to be giving the closed-source programs a run for their money; despite the pretty Java GUI, it’s not a “load and use” package, but it also is not a “type esoteric commands from a huge, dense manual” program. It can import Excel files and connect to databases; most operations require some programming through its XML interface.
gretl
Configurations available: OS X (Intel only)
Current version: 1.7.4 (as of May 27, 2008)
Price: free (open source)
Listing updated 5/27-2008
gretl is a cross-platform software package for econometric analysis, written in the C programming language. It is is free, open-source software that reads in numerous formats and can link to R. Features include an easy, intuitive interface, a wide variety of estimators, time series methods, output in tabular, equation, or LaTeX formats, a scripting language, command loop structure, and GUI for fine tuning graphs. (Thanks, Rudi Bekkers).
dr-ROC
Configurations Available: Excel v.X, Excel 2004
Current Version: 1.1
Price: Individual license $150, student/resident and departmental licenses available.
dr-ROC performs summary ROC meta-analysis (Littenberg-Moses method) and other calculations on diagnostic test clinical trial data. It includes a pre-formatted results table and a variety of graphs with easy to use check-box options to display or hide various elements. Forest and logit plots included, along with post-test probability calculations. Menu-driven interface for analysis options including weighted regression and continuity correction. Available from Diagnostic Research Design & Reporting.
Specialty software from Marley Watkins
This software is available from Marley Watkins at http://edpsychassociates.com/Watkins3.html (Thanks, Tricia Jones). Some of this software is PowerPC based and will not run under Lion; some are OS 9 based; other programs are Intel-based or universal binaries. There are some Excel spreadsheets, some FutureBASIC and BASIC programs as well.
- MacParallel Analysis: tables of eigenvalues produced by Monte Carlo simulations.
- Monte Carlo PCA for Parallel Analysis: computes Parallel Analysis criteria (eigenvalues) via Monte Carlo simulation.
- r To z Conversion: calculates r-to-z and z-to-r.
- Ability-Achievement Discrepancy Analysis: regression-based prediction of achievement for determination of a severe ability-achievement discrepancy.
- Coefficient of Congruence: calculates the coefficient of congruence for comparing factor solutions from different studies or different samples.
- Diagnostic Utilitity Statistics: calculates diagnostic efficiency statistics: sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, false negative rate, positive and negative predictive power, odds ratio, Kappa, etc.
- ROC Analysis: graphs the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and calculates the Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) using a nonparametric method.
- Chi-Square Analysis: calculates the chi-square statistic for 2x2 to 10x10 contingency tables. Also calculates the contingency, phi, and kappa statistics.
- Probability Calc: calculates the probability of Z, t, F, and chi-square values.
- MacBonferroni calculates Holm's sequential Bonferroni method to maintain error rates at a desired alpha level.
- RandomNum generates random numbers within a range specified by the user.
- UNITcalc calculates profile scores on the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test as per Wilhoit & McCallum (2002).
- Simple t calculates independent and dependent t-tests from group data (mean, standard deviation, correlation).
- MacKappa calculates general and partial kappa coefficients for nominal data.
- CAcalculator-Revised calculates chronological age when given date of birth and date of test
- rDiff calculates the reliability of difference scores, given the reliability of two tests and the correlation between then.
- rProphecy calculates the Spearman-Brown 'Prophecy' formula that estimates the reliability of a test if its number of items is altered.
- Effect Size Calculator calculates effect sizes (Cohen's d, r, Glass's ɢ, Common Language Effect Size) given appropriate means and standard deviations.
- MacOrtho transforms an hierarchical higher-order factor analysis solution into an orthogonal solution as described by Schmid and Leiman (1957).
- MacMahalanobis calculates Mahalanobis distance for multiple cases, given entry of an inverted covariance matrix.
- Pairwise Tests calculates three Pairwise Tests: simple Bonferroni adjustment, Holm's sequential Bonferroni method, and Benjamin and Hochberg's False Discovery Rate.
- alphaN estimates the sample size needed for a specified coefficient alpha, given the Type I error rate and effect size.
- rSim interactively simulates how the 95% confidence interval of the correlation coefficient and the statistical significance (p ≠ 0) vary as a function of sample size.
- ASCA Assistant for the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA). It also performs syndromic profile analysis, discriminant analysis, and situtype analysis. Only for those who own ASCA manual and protocols.
- Invariance calculates indices of factorial invariance: the coefficient of congruence, a chi-square goodness of fit test, and Cattell's Salient Variable Similarity index.
Commercial software
Knowledge Miner (yX) for Excel
Configurations Available: Universal Binary; works with Excel 2004, 2008, and 2011; 64-bit support
Current Version: 2.9
Price: $1,500 for multicore (Gold), $300 for basic (Silver)
Listing updated 9/14/2011
Knowledge Miner’s Microsoft Excel-based data mining tool; it uses Excel data to build predictive and descriptive models, based on (and including) Knowledge Miner with 64-bit and multi-processor support. Includes 64-bit parallel processing, many projects including climate change, and high-dimensional modeling. A new Basic edition (renamed Silver with version 2.9) was launched in late 2010; version 2.7 put multi-CPU support into all additions.
The data mining program, according to its web site, "uses artificial intelligence to extract hidden knowledge from data...Even if you have no experience in modeling, data analysis or designing a neural network you will be able to model, analyze and predict complex relationships of nearly any kind of system. ... you can deal with a problem as is and don't have to construct artificial conditions for your modeling method to get it work." Knowledge Miner uses inductive learning algorithms, self-organizing fuzzy rule induction, analog complexing, and other methods; you can get cost curves for optimized cost-sensitive classification models, and an updated Business Intelligence Case Study application.
Bee Docs Timeline 3D
Price: $65 ($39 educational)
Listing last updated: 11-9-2011
Data transfer / translation
Version: 10 (required for OS 10.6)
Price: $295 (commercial), $179 (academic), $59 (student)
Listing last updated: 11-9-2011
Stat/Transfer can translate to and from most common statistical formats. It works surprisingly well, though you should check to make sure it can make the exact transitions you need.
General math software
Statistical analysis (particularly time series analysis) can also be done using general-purpose mathematical software (especially with optional or standard plugins) such as:
- Mathematica: Feature/version parity across Mac, Linux, Windows, and UNIX versions. Universal Binary; version 7 is current.
- MATLAB: Version 7.04 has parity with Windows, Linux, and UNIX. A large number of other products are also available from this publisher for the Mac. Gets considerable use for statistics, particularly Bayesian.
- Maple: At version 10 with general feature parity across Mac and Windows; UNIX and Linux also available; Universal Binary
- IDL: current version is 6.1 and OS X or UNIX native (past versions were PowerPC).
- LiveMath (formerly known as MathView, Theorist and also sold as MathPlus): current version 3.5 includes PowerPC or OS X native support and is a Universal Binary according to the company.
- MuPAD "is a full-fledged computer algebra system for symbolic and numeric computing... [with a] user-friendly interface." Pricing, version, and compatibility is no longer available from their web site.
Notes
Image extraction software
Also see image extraction software and our abandoned Mac statistics software page.