Forecasting is required in many situations. Stocking an inventory may require forecasts of demand months in advance. Telecommunication routing requires traffic forecasts a few minutes ahead. Whatever the circumstances or time horizons involved, forecasting is an important aid in effective and efficient planning. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to forecasting methods and presents enough information about each method for readers to use them sensibly.
"This book examines the applicability and usefulness of new technologies, as well as the pitfalls of these methods in academic research practices, serving as a practical guide for designing and conducting research projects"--Provided by publisher.
"Universal Methods of Design is an immensely useful survey of research and design methods used by today's top practitioners, and will serve as a crucial reference for any designer grappling with really big problems. This book has a place on every designer's bookshelf, including yours!" —David Sherwin, Principal Designer at frog and author of Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills "Universal Methods of Design is a landmark method book for the field of design. This tidy text compiles and summarizes 100 of the most widely applicable and effective methods of design—research, analysis, and ideation—the methods that every graduate of a design program should know, and every professional designer should employ. Methods are concisely presented, accompanied by information about the origin of the technique, key research supporting the method, and visual examples. Want to know about Card Sorting, or the Elito Method? What about Think-Aloud Protocols? This book has them all and more in readily digestible form. The authors have taken away our excuse for not using the right method for the job, and in so doing have elevated its readers and the field of design. UMOD is an essential resource for designers of all levels and specializations, and should be one of the go-to reference tools found in every designer’s toolbox." —William Lidwell, author of Universal Principles of Design, Lecturer of Industrial Design, University of Houston This comprehensive reference provides a thorough and critical presentation of 100 research methods, synthesis/analysis techniques, and research deliverables for human centered design, delivered in a concise and accessible format perfect for designers, educators, and students. Whether research is already an integral part of a practice or curriculum, or whether it has been unfortunately avoided due to perceived limitations of time, knowledge, or resources, Universal Methods of Design serves as an invaluable compendium of methods that can be easily referenced and utilized by cross-disciplinary teams in nearly any design project. This essential guide: - Dismantles the myth that user research methods are complicated, expensive, and time-consuming - Creates a shared meaning for cross-disciplinary design teams - Illustrates methods with compelling visualizations and case studies - Characterizes each method at a glance - Indicates when methods are best employed to help prioritize appropriate design research strategies Universal Methods of Design distills each method down to its most powerful essence, in a format that will help design teams select and implement the most credible research methods best suited to their design culture within the constraints of their projects.
Data on water quality and other environmental issues are being collected at an ever-increasing rate. In the past, however, the techniques used by scientists to interpret this data have not progressed as quickly. This is a book of modern statistical methods for analysis of practical problems in water quality and water resources.The last fifteen years have seen major advances in the fields of exploratory data analysis (EDA) and robust statistical methods. The 'real-life' characteristics of environmental data tend to drive analysis towards the use of these methods. These advances are presented in a practical and relevant format. Alternate methods are compared, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each as applied to environmental data. Techniques for trend analysis and dealing with water below the detection limit are topics covered, which are of great interest to consultants in water-quality and hydrology, scientists in state, provincial and federal water resources, and geological survey agencies.The practising water resources scientist will find the worked examples using actual field data from case studies of environmental problems, of real value. Exercises at the end of each chapter enable the mechanics of the methodological process to be fully understood, with data sets included on diskette for easy use. The result is a book that is both up-to-date and immediately relevant to ongoing work in the environmental and water sciences.
A thorough presentation of analytical methods for characterizing soil chemical properties and processes, Methods, Part 3 includes chapters on Fourier transform infrared, Raman, electron spin resonance, x-ray photoelectron, and x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies, and more.
Oracle Database Programming with Visual Basic.NET Discover a detailed treatment of the practical considerations and applications of Oracle database programming with Visual Basic 2019 Oracle Database Programming with Visual Basic.NET: Concepts, Designs, and Implementations delivers a comprehensive exploration of the foundations of Oracle database programming using Visual Basic.NET. Using Visual Basic.NET 2019, Visual Studio.NET 2019, and Oracle 18c XE, the book introduces the Oracle database development system, Oracle SQL Developer and Modeler, and teaches readers how to implement a sample database solution. The distinguished author also demonstrates the use of dotConnect for Oracle to show readers how to create an effective connection to an Oracle 18c XE database. The current versions of the .NET framework, ASP.NET, and ASP.NET 4.7 are also explored and used to offer readers the most up to date web database programming techniques available today. The book provides practical example projects and detailed, line-by-line descriptions throughout to assist readers in the development of their database programming skill. Students will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to databases, including definitions, examples, descriptions of keys and relationships, and some database components in popular databases, like Access, SQL, and Oracle An exploration of ADO.NET, including its architecture and components, like the DataReader class, DataSet component, DataTable component, and the command and parameter classes A discussion of Language Integrated Query (LINQ), including its architecture and components, its relationship to objects, DataSet, Oracle, and Entities An explanation of how to access data in ASP.NET and ASP.NET Web Services with multiple real project examples. Perfect for college and university students taking courses related to database programming and applications, Oracle Database Programming with Visual Basic.NET will also earn a place in the libraries of programmers and software engineers seeking a comprehensive reference for database coding in Visual Basic.NET.
Materials selection is a crucial factor in determining the cost, quality, and corrosion protection for every engineering project. The variety of increasingly durable materials and their combinations, coupled with the rise of new and more critical service requirements and the demand for lower costs, have expanded upon trial-and-error criteria into m
Resource for companies to improve strategic planning and ensure they are implementing effective corporate strategy. bull; Presents a comprehensive range of methods to analyse the tools that analyse business, competitive data, and market information. bull; Consistent approach and detailed instructions allow for readers to implement strategy quickly and effectively. bull; Management consultants and strategy departments can use this book to make a case for the most effective method to apply to any problem.