New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

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User satisfaction with machine learning as a data analysis method in agricultural research

ROBERT J. MCQUEEN

Department of Management Systems
The University of Waikato
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton, New Zealand

GEOFFREY HOLMES

Department of Computer Science
The University of Waikato
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton, New Zealand

LYN HUNT

Department of Statistics
The University of Waikato
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton, New Zealand

Abstract  Machine learning has potential use in the understanding of information hidden in large datasets, but little is known about user perceptions of the use of the technology. In this study, datasets were solicited from agricultural researchers and processed using a machine learning workbench. The results were reported to the researchers, and then interviews were conducted with some of them to determine their perceptions about the use of machine learning as an additional analysis technique to traditional statistical analysis. A number of themes about their satisfaction with this technique were constructed from the interview transcripts, which generally indicate that machine learning may be able to contribute to analysis and understanding of these kinds of datasets.

Keywords  machine learning; user satisfaction; statistical analysis; agricultural research

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1998, Vol. 41: 577-584

0028-8233/98/4104-0577 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1998

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (638K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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