computer science

Imputation and Variance Estimation Software

Imputation and Variance Estimation Software is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Imputation and Variance Estimation Software rather than just read about it. In short: Imputation and Variance Estimation Software (IVEware) is a collection of routines written under various platforms and packaged to perform multiple imputations, variance estimation (or standard error) and, in general, draw inferences from incomplete data. It can also be used to perform analysis without any missing data.

Key takeaways

Imputation and Variance Estimation Software belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Imputation and Variance Estimation Software to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Imputation and Variance Estimation Software from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Imputation and Variance Estimation Software (IVEware) is a collection of routines written under various platforms and packaged to perform multiple imputations, variance estimation (or standard error) and, in general, draw inferences from incomplete data. It can also be used to perform analysis without any missing data. IVEware defaults to assuming a simple random sample, but uses the Jackknife Repeated Replication or Taylor Series Linearization techniques for analyzing data from complex surveys.

Overview Version 0.1 of IVEware was developed in the late 1990s by Trivellore Raghunathan, Peter W. Solenberger, and John Van Hoewyk and released in 1997 as beta software with an official release in 2002 from the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Version 0.2 was released in 2011 and the newest version, V 0.3, was released in 2017. The software includes seven modules: IMPUTE, BBDESIGN, DESCRIBE, REGRESS, SASMOD, SYNTHESIZE, and COMBINE. IVEware can be run with SAS, Stata, R, SPSS or as a stand-alone tool under the Windows or Linux environment. The R, Stata, SPSS and stand-alone version can also be used with the Mac OS. The stand-alone version has limited capabilities for analyzing multiply imputed data though the routines for creating imputations are the same across all packages. And the command structure is the same across all platforms. IVEware can be executed using the built-in XML editor or it can be run using the built-in editor within the four software packages previously mentioned. The user can also mix and match the codes from these software packages through a standard XML toggle-parser (for example, < SAS name = “myfile” > SAS commands < /SAS > will execute the SAS commands and store the commands in the file “myfile.sas”.) if the provided XML editor is used to execute IVEware commands.

References

Further reading Raghunathan, T.E., Lepkowski, J., Van Hoewyk, J. and Solenberger, P. (2001). A multivariate technique for multiply imputing missing values using a sequence of regression models. Survey Methodology, 27(1): 85-95. Raghunathan, T. E, Berglund, P., and Solenberger, P. W. (2018). Multiple Imputation in Practice: With Examples Using IVEware. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Bondarenko, I. & Raghunathan, T. E. (2016). Graphical and numerical diagnostic tools to assess suitability of multiple imputations and imputation models. Statistics in Medicine, 35, 3007-3020. Bondarenko, I. & Raghunathan, T. E. (2010). Multiple imputation for causal inference. Section on Survey Research Methods-JSM. Raghunathan, T. E., Solenberger, P., Berglund, P., van Hoewyk, J. (2017). IVEware: Imputation and Variance Estimation Software (Version 0.3): Complete User Guide. Ann Arbor: Survey Research Center, University of Michigan.

External links IVEware Version 0.3 Survey Research Center

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Imputation and Variance Estimation Software

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Imputation and Variance Estimation Software claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Imputation and Variance Estimation Software before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Imputation and Variance Estimation Software ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Imputation and Variance Estimation Software

In research: Imputation and Variance Estimation Software appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Imputation and Variance Estimation Software in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Imputation and Variance Estimation Software is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Statistical software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Imputation and Variance Estimation Software outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Imputation and Variance Estimation Software in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Imputation and Variance Estimation Software means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Imputation and Variance Estimation Software out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Imputation and Variance Estimation Software in simple terms?

Why does Imputation and Variance Estimation Software matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Imputation and Variance Estimation Software?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Imputation and Variance Estimation Software.