STATISTICS: REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST AND VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Ch. Mallikarjuna Rao · Communication in Statistics- Theory and Methods · 2001
Statistics as data is ancient, but as a discipline of study and research it has a short history. Courses leading to degrees in statistics have been introduced in universities some sixty to seventy years ago. They were not considered to constitute a basic discipline with a subject matter of its own. However, during the last seventy five years, it has developed as a powerful blend of science, technology and art for solving problems in all areas of human endeavor. Now-a-days statistics is used in scientific research, economic development through optimum use of resources, increasing industrial productivity, medical diagnosis, legal practice, disputed authorship, and optimum decision making at individual and institutional levels. What is the future of statistics in the coming millennium dominated by information technology encompassing the whole of communications, interaction with intelligent systems, massive data bases, and complex information processing networks? The current statistical methodology based on p...