Paleontological Statistics
Free statistical software for paleontology and related fields
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PAST (PAleontological STatistics) is a free software package for statistical data analysis with a focus on palaeontological data.
| PAST (PAleontological STatistics) | |
|---|---|
PAST 4.13 running on Windows 10 | |
| Developers | Øyvind Hammer, David A.T. Harper, Paul D. Ryan |
| Initial release | 2001 |
| Stable release | 4.13
/ May 2023 |
| Size | ~30 MB |
| Type | Statistical analysis Numerical analysis |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | www |
Development
PAST's predecessor was PALSTAT, developed by palaeontologists David Harper (University of Copenhagen) and Paul Ryan (National University of Ireland), first for BBC Microcomputer and later for MS-DOS.[1]
The development of PAST started in 1999, the development team consisted of Harper, Ryan as well as Øyvind Hammer (University of Oslo),[2] who is still the maintainer today.[3]
Functions and Operation
PAST includes functions for data management, data visualisation through graphics, univariate and multivariate analysis procedures as well as linear and non-linear modelling. There are also functions for diversity calculation, time series analysis, geostatistical and stratigraphic analysis.[3]
The operation is basically mouse-controlled. In addition, control via syntax scripts is provided, using a Pascal-like script language.[3]
Usage
PAST was used for studies in paleontology,[4][5][6][7] forensics,[8] archaeology[9][10] or microbiology.[11]
The software was recommended because it is "... designed specifically for paleontologists"[12] and "... incorporates a vast majority of analytical methods suitable for paleontological and current ecological work".[13]
Further reading
- Hammer, Øyvind; Harper, David A.T. (2006), Paleontological Data Analysis, Malden/Oxford/Carlton: Blackwell, ISBN 978-0-470-75071-1
- Hammer, Øyvind; Harper, David A.T.; Ryan, Paul D. (2001), "PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis." (PDF), Palaeontologia Electronica, vol. 4, no. 1
- Hammer, Øyvind (2023), PAST - PAleontological STatistics, Version 4.13, Reference manual. (PDF), retrieved 2023-05-10