A general theory of multimetric indices and their properties
Schoolmaster DR, Grace JB, Schweiger EW. 2012. A general theory of multimetric indices and their properties. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 3(4):773–781
One of the emerging methods for making such integrative assessments is multimetric indices (MMIs). These indices synthesize data, often from multiple levels of biological organization, with the goal of deriving a single index that reflects the overall effects of human disturbance. We present the initial basis for such a theory by deriving the general mathematical characteristics of MMIs assembled from metrics. We then use the theory to derive quantitative answers to the following questions: Is there an optimal number of metrics to comprise an index? How does covariance among metrics affect the performance of the index derived from those metrics? And what are the criteria to decide whether a given metric will improve the performance of an index?
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Schoolmaster, Donald; Grace, James; Schweiger, E
- Units
- IMD
- Keywords
- MMI, synthesis