Teaching Chemometrics

Abstract

Two important developments took place during the past two decades, and have marked the face of analytical chemistry today: computers and instrumentation. Twenty years ago only a happy few dared the very user-unfriendly access to computers with: Punched charts; paper tape; background processing without the possibility ofinteractive operation; long turn around time etc. Software packages being hardly available at that time, the development of algorithms was a very time-consuming activity. Likewise, at that time, analytical chemists were quite uninterested in the laboriously developed software because most of them lacked the necessary hardware for a meaningful application. Twenty years later, one can buy a microcomputer with a Random Access Memory capacity which is similar to the former academic computer center, for a fraction of the price. Consequently, complex data processing methods are now accessible for every respectable analytical laboratory. Sophisticated graphics capabilities allow information included in complex data structures in an ergonomic justified manner to be presented. There is no doubt that these developments will not slow down. On the contrary. There are good reasons to believe that the incredibly fast calculation capability of the computer center equipped with fast array processors will also be found on our desks over 10 to 20 years. Animated graphics on multi-dimensional data structures obtained with the analytical instruments of tomorrow, will become common property.