SciCraft - a general data analysis tool

SciCraft is a data analysis software which allows the user access to advanced methods in statistics, chemometrics and artificial intelligence through an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI).

Some of methods currently available in SciCraft are:

* Principal component analysis (PCA)
* Partial least squares regression (PLSR)
* k-nearest neighbour classification
* Kohonen maps
* K-means cluster analysis
* Hierarchical cluster analysis 
* Fourier transform 
* Low and high pass filtering
* Fast wavelet transforms

Many scientific fields experience an enormous increase in produced data and thus need the availability of effective data analysis software.

Commercial data analysis software packages exist that can be used, however they are often expensive, have a limited number of methods available and are very restrictive with their licenses. Combining the methods with external software usually requires time-consuming data format and interface handling that hinders the investigator.

SciCraft is an open source data analysis software which solves these problems through an intuitive and user friendly framework where existing methods written in many programming language can easily be combined. It provides integration of a large number of methods from multiple sources such that the user can only be minimally concerned with problems related to data imports/exports, file formats and automation. The user can concentrate on the scientific aspects of data analysis without technical distractions.

SciCraft is also an advantage to method developers as their code can rapidly be made available and user friendly without the need for excessive construction of advanced graphical user interfaces. This will significantly increase the turnover rate of new data analytical methods in the scientific community.

Even though SciCraft can communicate in principle with any type of computer language, we have found it useful to concentrate on high level languages that are suited for rapid development of data analysis algorithms. Examples of such languages are Octave, SciLab (Matlab clones) and R (S-PLUS clone). Currently, SciCraft supports Octave, R and Python.

The SciCraft project has reached version 1.0 and we think the current version is a very useful tool for people who want to analyse their data. However much remain to be included and improved.

If you want to test out a very early version of SciCraft, it can be [wiki:SciCraftDownloads downloaded] from this site.

If you think this project sounds interesting and/or want to contribute to the project, please feel free to [wiki:ContactInformation contact us]!