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Nickels and Dimes: The Influence of End-Digit Number Preference on Data Quality (305346)
*KaDonna C. Randolph, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Keywords: data quality, end digit, forest inventory, mensuration, number preference
The application of statistical tools for quality control is an integral component of any research or production workflow. With thousands of sampling points scattered across the U.S., its territories, and affiliated islands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has established a quality assurance/quality control program to ensure that national forest inventory data sufficiently meet programmatic needs and public expectations. An examination of recently collected data highlighted forest metrics for which the digits 0 and 5 occurred as end digits more frequently than expected under the assumption that digits 0, 1, …., 9 occur at the end of a number with equal probability. Overall, metrics acquired by ocular estimation or measured on a percent scale exhibited a greater preference for the digits 0 and 5 than those acquired instrumentally or measured in inches, feet, etc. These results serve as feedback for improving the U.S. national forest inventory and exemplify the value of a rigorous quality assurance/quality control plan.