PAST Statistical Software

We use a wide range of statistical packages at TCD but I always recommend students on my courses to use PAST (PAlaeontological Statistics). It’s an easy to use and robust software package that can be downloaded free from the Internet. There are no strings attached and it is a very simple and quick download. It is incredibly versatile and carries a wide range of statistical applications. I use it primarily for multivariate analysis and the calculation of a wide number of diversity indices. The package has been developed and is run by Oyvind Hammer who is based at the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo, who is to be highly commended for his constant enthusiasm and helpful advice which is so freely given to users A new version (2.07) is now available incorporating many new features making it even more sophisticated while retaining its ease of use. It is supported by a series of downloadable pdf manuals. Download here.