The modeling of extreme values is important to scientists in such  elds as hydrology, civil engineering, environmental science, oceanography and  nance. Stuart Coles’s book on the modeling of extreme values provides an introductory text on the topic. It is a modeling-oriented text with an emphasis on different types of data and analytical approaches. The book is laid out in nine chapters. Following introductory material and discussion of necessary theoretical background are chapters on approaches to extreme values that focus on the different types of data that might be used in an extreme value analysis. These include models for block maximums, threshold models, models for data from stationary and nonstationary processes, and approaches based on point processes. A chapter covers analysis of multivariate extremes, and the  nal chapter brie y covers such topics as Bayesian inference, Markov chains, and spatial extremes. Although this is not a data-driven text, it does contain numerous examples and analyses. These examples are used to illustrate the methodology; I would have preferred to see more motivation and interpretation of the results of the analyses. Datasets and S-PLUS programs for the analyses in the text are available at a website. These are easy to use for those slightly familiar with S-PLUS. The appendix describes the programs and illustrates how to access data and use the programs. It also gives links to sites that provide other software. The text does not include problem sets; these would have been useful, especially if the text is to be used in coursework. The text by Reiss and Thomas (2001) contains more thoroughly analyzed datasets, although it is twice the length and not as streamlined as the text under review. The book is meant for individuals with moderate statistical background. Those with coursework in maximum likelihood methods should have no dif culty reading and comprehending the text. Overall, this is a good text for someone getting started in extreme value methods.

Statistical Quality Control

On efficient use of auxiliary information for control charting in SPC

Purpose – Monitoring of a process leading to the detection of faults and determination of the root causes are essential for the production of consistent good quality end products with improved yield. The history of process monitoring fault detection (PMFD) strategies can be traced back to 1930s. Thereafter various tools, techniques and approaches were developed along with their application in diversified fields. The purpose of this paper is to make a review to categorize, describe and compare the various PMFD strategies.Design/methodology/approach – Taxonomy was developed to categorize PMFD strategies. The basis for the categorization was the type of techniques being employed for devising the PMFD strategies. Further, PMFD strategies were discussed in detail along with emphasis on the areas of applications. Comparative evaluations of the PMFD strategies based on some commonly identified issues were also carried out. A general framework common to all the PMFD has been presented. And lastly a discussion int...

Process monitoring and fault detection strategies: a review

An EWMA monitoring scheme with a single auxiliary variable for industrial processes

Two generally weighted moving average (GWMA) charts are usually used concurrently for a simultaneous monitoring of the process mean and process variance. In this article, we propose a new GWMA chart, called the Max-GWMA chart, which uses a single statistic for a simultaneous monitoring of the process mean and variance. The statistic of the Max-GWMA chart is based on the maximum of the absolute values of two GWMA statistics, one for controlling the mean while the other the variance. We show that the Max-GWMA chart outperforms the combined GWMA chart, in terms of the average run length (ARL), standard deviation of the run length (SDRL) and diagnostic abilities performances. The combined GWMA chart consists of two GWMA charts that are run concurrently, one for monitoring the mean and the other the variance.

Tse-Chieh Lin

Papers

Monitoring process mean and variability with generally weighted moving average control charts