Biological data

Mathematical biology connects models to observations. Data may consist of population counts, concentrations, infection incidence, survival times, gene-expression measurements, images or repeated measurements through time.

Observation and process

The biological process itself may be variable, and measurements can contain additional observation error. These are different sources of uncertainty and should not automatically be treated as the same.

Study design

Sampling frequency, sample size, measurement method and the range of observed conditions determine which features of a model can be estimated reliably.