Editorial: Reasoning About Data

Two factors have affected the work of modem data analysts more than any others. First, the size of machine-readable data sets has increased, especially during the last decade or so. Second, computational methods and tools are being developed that enhance traditional statistical analysis. These two developments have created a new range of problems and challenges for analysts, as well as new opportunities for intelligent systems in data analysis. To provide an international forum for the discussion of these topics, a series of symposia on Intelligent Data Analysis was initiated in 1995 [4]. The second Intelligent Data Analysis conference (IDA-97) was held at Birkbeck College, University of London, 4th-6th August 1997. Almost 130 people from twenty countries in four continents took part in the symposium. A total of 107 papers were submitted to the IDA-97 conference, of which 50 were accepted as either oral or poster presentations. After the conference, five papers were chosen from the conference program and their authors were invited to prepare extended versions for publication in the Intelligent Data Analysis (IDA) JournaL A second round of review provided additional feedback to the authors and the papers are now presented in this special Issue.