Developing Guidelines for the Application of Multivariate Statistical Analysis to Forensic Evidence

The goal of the research proposed is to evaluate numerous statistical procedures for the association and classification of different types of forensic evidence. This study will initially use three very different data sets to investigate the statistical procedures: ignitable liquids analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, controlled substances analyzed using infrared spectroscopy, and bacterial populations in soil analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. A manual generated from this research will outline advantages and disadvantages of each of the statistical procedures evaluated, along with special considerations according to evidence type. ca/ncf