BoundarySeer can import two types of variables for analysis: numeric and categorical. All variables within a data set must be of the same type. If you try to import a file with variables of different types, BoundarySeer will separate them into different data sets, each containing only one variable type. Labels can be imported with either type of variable, though labels cannot be analyzed.
Numeric data are expressed as real numbers where the difference between two numbers is mathematically meaningful. Examples include numbers of disease cases, temperature, and salinity. Numeric data may be standardized so that each variable is weighted equally in the boundary delineation process.
Values for a categorical variable represent membership of the sample in one of a mutually exclusive set of categories. Examples include species presence/absence, survival, and status as a smoker or non-smoker.
In BoundarySeer, categories can be expressed as integers; however, the mathematical difference between two categories represented by integers is not meaningful. That is, the difference between 4 and 1 is the same as that between 2 and 1: both pairs are mismatched. Examples of categorical data include blood type or soil classifications. Categorical data can also be expressed as letters or combinations of letters and numbers.
You may have label variables that describe unique sampling locations, such as your name for an area. You may wish to import these labels for your own use, such as querying the map, even though they cannot be used in boundary analysis.
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