Statistical analysis is the process of collecting and analysing large sets of data to identify trends and patterns. A number of tools are listed below to assist RMIT staff and students in the collection and transformation of data for their research projects.
To choose an appropriate software tool for analysing your data there are a number of criteria that need to be considered:
RMIT staff and students wanting further information on managing and storing data may also consult the Library's Research data management guide.
The following statistical analysis tools enable the user to perform a wide range of statistical analysis tasks such as descriptive statistics, regression analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis, time series analysis and data visualisation.
Note: This list is not exhaustive but represents a sample of tools commonly used by researchers. Some basic familiarity of these tools is advantageous, and where possible, training resources have been provided for inexperienced users.
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software program, and a powerful data visualisation and analysis tool.
AccessRMIT provides access to Excel for staff and students.
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MATLAB combines a desktop environment with a multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment that enables data analysis and visualisation.
AccessRMIT provides access to MATLAB for staff and students.
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RStudio is statistical analysis software, freely available as open source, as well as having a commercially available version.
Access
Note: For access and training resources to R, See the R section on this guide. |
SAS is statistical analysis software that is good for analysing large and complex data sets.
AccessRMIT provides access to SAS for some staff and students.
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SPSS Statistics is a computer application that supports statistical analysis of large-scale data. The software has extensive capabilities in analytical reporting, graphics and statistical modelling.
AccessRMIT provides access to SPSS for some staff and students. For access and training resources, see the SPSS page on this guide. |
Stata is an integrated statistical software package for data science, which enables data manipulation, visualization, statistics, and automated reporting.
AccessRMIT provides access to Stata to some staff and students, primarily those in the College of Business and Law. To request a licence:
Note: If you have an RMIT device, RMIT IT Services can remotely install Stata for you. |
RMIT staff and HDR students can apply for access to use high performance computing (HPC) facilities and cloud services for performing data analysis. For further information, visit the RMIT Researcher Portal (RMIT login required).
RMIT is the first Australian university to implement a dedicated commercial cloud supercomputing facility - RACE (RMIT AWS Cloud Supercomputing) - by collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AARNet. By combining the industry-leading cloud capabilities of AWS and the latest fibre network technologies from AARNet, RMIT is set to access tremendous connectivity and HPC processing power and provide seamless access to all our researchers, academics, students, and industry partners. RACE allows users to test ideas and solutions up to 100 times faster than existing on-site servers.
More information about RACE can be found on the RACE SharePoint site and on the RACE Hub.
The AWS cloud supercomputing hub plans to provide the following access schemes:
1. Merit Allocation
This scheme will provide RMIT researchers with “free” access to AWS related services (e.g. EC2, S3) through a merit-based selection process. Note: RMIT will need to pre-procurement a certain amount of AWS credits.
2. Start-Up
This scheme will provide eligible RMIT PhD students and early career researchers with certain AWS credits. In addition, it will enable PhD students and early career researchers to evaluate the suitability of AWS cloud computing for their research and support them to apply for national competitive research grants (e.g. ARC and NHMRC).
3. Pay For Service
This scheme will enable RMIT staff to access AWS cloud services at a discounted rate. The AWS cloud supercomputing hub will also provide the relevant training, technical support, and expert services to lower the technical barrier for RMIT staff.
Nectar is a Cloud Computing Platform that provides flexible, scalable computing power to all Australian researchers. It implements computing infrastructure, as well as software and services that allow the research community to store, access and run data remotely, rapidly and autonomously.
For more information on the Nectar Research Cloud visit the Research Data page (RMIT login required) and select 'Analysing research data' drop-down.
For assistance with Nectar, visit the Nectar Support Centre.
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