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What is an outlier in statistics and how can you recognize it?

09/27/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

In statistics, the term "outlier" or "outlier" denotes a data point that differs significantly from other data points in a data set. Outliers can occur either due to measurement error or due to an actual extraordinary phenomenon. They can potentially have a significant impact on statistical analysis as they can greatly affect the calculated averages and other metrics.

Detecting outliers is an important step in data analysis. There are several methods to identify outliers. Here are some common approaches:

Visual Methods: Charts such as scatterplots or boxplots can be used to identify potential outliers. Data points that are far from the general distribution of the data can be considered outliers.

Statistical Methods: There are several statistical tests that can identify outliers. A commonly used approach is the z-score method, which measures the distance of a data point from the mean of the data in standard deviations. Data points that have a z-score above a certain threshold can be considered outliers.

Robust Estimators: Robust estimation techniques such as median and interquartile range (IQR) can help identify outliers. Data points falling outside the range of 1.5 times the IQR from the quartiles can be considered outliers.

Machine Learning: Advanced machine learning algorithms can be used to detect outliers by identifying patterns and anomalies in the data. An example of this is the clustering method, in which outliers are regarded as data points that cannot be assigned to a specific group or cluster.

It is important to note that not every outlier is necessarily erroneous or needs to be removed. Sometimes outliers contain important information or can indicate interesting phenomena. The decision on how to deal with outliers depends on the specific analysis and context.

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How are the estimates in the Bayes statistics calculated?

09/13/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

In Bayesian statistics, estimates are calculated using Bayes' theorem and the concept of conditional probability. Bayes' theorem states that the probability of event A given that event B has occurred divided by the probability of event B given that event A has occurred and the probability of event A divided by the probability of event B.

In Bayesian statistics, estimates are made based on existing information and prior knowledge about the parameter being estimated. The estimation process consists of the following steps:

Determining a priori distribution: Before starting the data analysis, a priori distribution is determined for the parameter to be estimated. The priori distribution expresses the initial knowledge or uncertainty about the parameter before looking at the data.

Collection of data: Data is collected to enable estimation of the parameter. The data can come from experiments, surveys or other observations.

Prior distribution update: Combining the prior distribution with the observed data calculates the posterior distribution. The posterior distribution gives the updated probability distribution of the parameter considering the observed data.

Calculation of the estimate: The estimate of the parameter is derived from the a posteriori distribution. This can be done by various methods, such as choosing the maximum a posteriori (MAP estimation) or calculating the expected value of the a posteriori distribution.

Evaluation of the estimate: The quality of the estimate can be evaluated using various criteria, such as the mean square deviation or the confidence interval.

The Bayesian estimation approach allows existing knowledge to be combined with observed data to improve estimates. By accounting for priori knowledge, Bayesian statistics can be particularly beneficial when data is limited or when estimating rare events.

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Statistics and Demography: How Data Helps to Understand Societies

09/06/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

Demography is the branch of social science that deals with the analysis of population data. Statistics is a method of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Together, statistics and demography help us better understand societies and populations.

Analyzing population data through demographics allows us to track changes in population composition over time. Demographic data includes information such as age, gender, ethnicity, education level, income, and marital status. Analysis of this data allows trends to be identified and predictions to be made about future population composition.

Statistics helps in the analysis and interpretation of data. Statistical methods such as probability theory, regression, and correlation allow us to analyze and interpret data in an objective way. Statistics can also help us see patterns and relationships in data that may not be obvious at first glance.

Combining statistics and demographics allows us to gain insight into population composition. For example, analyzing demographic data and statistical methods such as cluster analysis can help identify population groups that share similar characteristics, such as similar education or income levels. These groupings can then serve as the basis for developing policies or marketing strategies.

Another application of statistics and demographics is forecasting future trends. By analyzing past trends and applying statistical models, predictions can be made about future population composition, labor market, or economic development. These predictions can then be used to inform policy and economic decision making.

Conclusion:

Statistics and demography are important methods to better understand societies and populations. By analyzing demographic data and statistical methods, trends can be identified, groupings can be identified, and predictions about future developments can be made. This helps to make political and economic decisions on a sound basis.

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Start-ups, new businesses and business discontinuations in Germany in H1 2023: A look at the current statistics

08/11/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

The German economy shows mixed developments in the first half of 2023 in terms of business start-ups and discontinuations. According to the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of start-ups of larger businesses remains almost unchanged, while new business start-ups show a significant overall increase and complete business discontinuations also rise strongly.

In the period from January to June 2023, around 62,700 establishments with a legal form and number of employees indicating greater economic importance were founded in Germany. This figure reflects a minimal decrease of 0.1% compared with the same half of the previous year. This result shows that, despite slight fluctuations, there is a constant interest in creating significant economic entities. At the same time, however, about 50,600 establishments with greater economic significance completely deregistered their trades, an increase of 12.4% compared to the first half of 2022.

It is worth highlighting the remarkable increase in new business startups overall during the same period. With approximately 317,600 startups, Germany recorded an increase of 10.2% compared to the corresponding half of the previous year. This testimony underscores the ongoing interest and commitment of entrepreneurs to build new businesses and put innovative ideas into action.

The total number of business registrations in the first half of 2023 increased by 8.9% year-on-year to around 381,200. These figures include not only new business start-ups, but also business takeovers, conversions and moves from other registration districts. This illustrates the diversity of entrepreneurial activity and the different ways in which businesses can start and grow.

Not to be ignored is the increase in trade relinquishments, which was also observed in the first half of 2023. With around 246,500 complete commercial tasks, Germany recorded a striking increase of 14.0% compared to the same half of the previous year. These figures include not only trade relinquishments, but also business transfers, conversions, and departures to other reporting districts.

The data source's methodological notes clarify the criteria for establishments of greater economic importance, including legal entities, partnerships and natural persons registered in the commercial register or employing workers. In addition, the data source highlights that technical issues have led to a change in the classification of small businesses and sideline businesses, which has limited the comparability of the results.

In summary, the statistical data for the first half of 2023 show a multifaceted picture of the corporate landscape in Germany. Despite slight fluctuations, interest in business start-ups remains, while the diversity of entrepreneurial activities plays an important role in the country's economic development.

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Statistical methods: A guide to their application

07/11/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

Statistical methods are an important part of many areas of science and everyday life. Whether testing the effectiveness of a new drug treatment, examining the relationship between different variables, or making decisions based on data, statistical methods help us extract relevant information from data and draw informed conclusions.

Here is a summary of some of the most important statistical methods and how they can be applied:

Descriptive Statistics: Descriptive statistics is a basic approach to analyzing data in which the data is described by statistical measures such as mean, median, standard deviation, and range. These measures help to understand the distribution of the data and identify trends.

Inferential Statistics: Inferential statistics allows us to infer a population from a sample. It uses probability and hypothesis testing to make inferences about the entire population based on data drawn from a sample.

Regression Analysis: Regression analysis is a method of studying the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. It helps to quantify the influence of different factors on a dependent variable.

Time Series Analysis: Time series analysis is a method of examining data collected over a period of time. It helps to identify trends, seasonal patterns, and random fluctuations in the data and to make predictions about future trends.

Multivariate Analysis: Multivariate analysis includes a variety of methods for examining data that consists of multiple variables. It helps to identify and understand complex relationships between different variables.

The application of statistical methods requires an understanding of the underlying mathematical concepts and the proper interpretation of results. It is important to note that statistical methods are only as good as the quality of the data on which they are applied. Careful data collection and analysis are therefore essential to obtain accurate results.

In today's world, we have access to ever-increasing amounts of data that can be analyzed by computer programs and machine learning algorithms. Combined with the right statistical methods, we can gain valuable insights from this data and make informed decisions.

Conclusion:

Statistical methods are an indispensable tool for analyzing data and gaining insights.

I hope this article has been able to provide some insight into the importance of statistical methods and their application in online marketing. By collecting data and applying statistical methods, you can make decisions on a solid basis and optimize your marketing strategies. It is important to understand the underlying mathematical concepts and interpret the results carefully in order to draw meaningful conclusions.

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