DATA QUALITY IN MATERIALS INFORMATION-SYSTEMS

Materials information systems, especially those used in engineering design, are largely felt to be less useful than they could be. One major reason is that the quality of the systems, and more especially the quality of the data within them, is 'felt' to be either low or indeterminate (where 'data quality' is taken to mean 'fitness for use'). Traditional ways of using materials information in design and analysis have not led to the same concern that appears when computerized systems are considered. This is peculiar, since, often, exactly the same data is used in both cases. The survey in the paper takes the view that traditional methods inevitably involve extensive manual reevaluation of the data, and that simplistic computerized methods, by speeding up the process, reduce the degree of personal involvement and the 'feeling' for the validity of the data. The sources and derivations of materials parameters used infinite-element analyses are a particular cause for concern now that this type of software has become much more widely used over the past three years. The quality of materials property data is intimately bound up with the use and perception of data by organizations in the real world. Therefore, the review takes a historical perspective, and records where and by whom insights and conclusions were reached. The presentation of a mere discussion of technical points would have meant that the worth of the review was itself indeterminate; it is important to realize how much of the paper represents a consensus.