Excuse me if I huff and puff a bit about being right. There really is only one way to analyse evidence in a crime to identify the bad guy – not four ways. Similarly, there is only one way to analyse data to learn the cause of an accident or failure in the built or natural environment.

This came out in a talk with a friend about his career in police work. He saw four ways of analysing data and evidence. I allowed maybe four but only one underlying method as posted in a previous blog. (Fig. 1)

My friend sees the four methods as follows:

1. Tactical (Specific to a project or occurrence)
2. Strategic (Addressing general issues, trending or potential) i.e. foresight, threat and risk assessments
3. Intelligence (Discover plans or developments of concern)
4. Business (As above, to monitor intelligence pertaining to the industry, company,  competitors, risks of takeover)

I see four different types of data and evidence in my friend’s list. I don’t see four different types of analytical method. Analysis is analysis is analysis – check out the definition in the dictionaries:

Four dictionaries – Cambridge, Brittanica, Merriam-Webster and Oxford -gave similar definitions of analysis. I’ve summarized these in the following as applies to forensic engineering investigation, and for sure as applies to catching the bad guys:

Analysis is the act of studying or examining “something” closely and carefully in detail, it’s elements or structure, to discover or understand more about its nature and the relationship of it’s parts, it’s essential features

The “something” could be a single task in a forensic engineering investigation and if it indicates the cause of an accident or failure in the built or natural environment, or supports the findings of another task.

(A little aside, there is a strong moral and ethical burden on an analyst to be thorough, accurate, unbiased, and objective. The result of the analysis must be credible and reliable and as much as possible, beyond reproach)

There was nothing in the four dictionaries about four methods of analysis. The definitions were very similar as I summarized above. Go see in the dictionaries I listed above – two of these were checked by my friend and two by me.

My friend may have been led astray by the nature of his work. He went on to list six (6) different purposes for an analysis, four (4) methods of analysis – see his list and my comments above – and 11 methodologies of analysis.

I’m not surprised at his detailed lists – like said in my earlier blog he did good work and travelled extensively. The lists help my friend and his colleagues do good police work – even if the four (4) types of data are mislabeled as four (4) methods.

The lists reminded me that I hadn’t seen comparable lists in forensic engineering investigation. If they haven’t been prepared they could be – the information is out there and followed in engineering work. Maybe the lack of published lists in engineering takes the huff and puff out of my sails.

References

1. How many different ways can data and evidence be analysed? Posted May 17, 2024

(Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer and Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, May 16, 2024 ejorden@eastlink.ca)