Collaborative Research: Distributome--An Interactive Web-based Resource for Probability Distributions

这个项目开发了一个新的计算和教育资源，Distributome，用于探索，发现和交互各种概率分布。Distributome项目利用了NSF项目的成功成果，这些项目在开发交互式学习材料、推动技术进步以及建立和维护数字图书馆方面已经持续了几十年的工作；所有这些都与有效的传播和专业发展基础设施相结合，以确保持续使用。这个项目有几个新颖的特点。该资源为基于社区的开发构建基础设施，扩展和验证由专家、学习者和教育者存储、处理、搜索、遍历和更新的分布的元数据。Distributome为各种分布资源的交互式探索提供了图形用户界面，也为其他软件程序和工具对这些分布资源的查询、发现和计算利用提供了web服务。具体来说，这个项目提供了一个开放的（开发和利用）、平台无关的、可扩展的和广泛的框架，用于在不同的应用程序中导航、发现和使用概率分布。整个框架使用XML/JAVA/HTML/Wiki/MathML/LaTeX构建，并通过www.Distributome.org免费提供给整个社区。Distributome基础设施的用户基础包括教育工作者（将这些图形工具和教学材料集成到他们的课程中，并参与由一群积极分子领导的独特虚拟社区）和最重要的学习者（探索、验证和理解概率分布和模型的使用，以解决实际问题）。概率建模是解决驱动生物、工程、健康、物理科学和社会问题的根本，这些问题是现代STEM课程的基础。Distributome基础设施能够表示、演示、计算和可视化大量的概率分布，它们之间的相互关系以及它们的应用与相关的课堂和课外活动相结合，以促进学习。

This project develops a new computational and educational resource, the Distributome, for exploring, discovering and interacting with varieties of probability distributions. The Distributome project leverages the results of successful NSF projects that have been sustained over decades of work in developing interactive learning materials, forging technological advances, and building and sustaining digital libraries; all integrated with an effective dissemination and professional development infrastructure to ensure on-going use. There are several novel features of this project. This resource builds the infrastructure for community based development, expands and validates the distributions' meta-data that is stored, processed, searched, traversed and updated by experts, learners, and educators. The Distributome provides a graphical user interface for interactive exploration of diverse distribution resources, as well as a web-service for query, discovery and computational utilization of these distribution resources by other software programs and tools. Specifically, this project provides an open (development and utilization), platform-agnostic, extensible and broad framework for navigation, discovery and usage of probability distributions in diverse applications. The entire framework is built using XML/JAVA/HTML/Wiki/MathML/LaTeX and is freely made available to the entire community via www.Distributome.org. The user-base of the Distributome infrastructure includes both educators (integrating these graphical tools and instructional materials in their course curricula and participating in a unique virtual community led by a cadre of activists) and most importantly learners (exploring, validating and understanding the use of probability distributions and models for practical problem solving). Probability modeling is at the root of solving driving biological, engineering, health, physical science, and social problems fundamental to the modern STEM curriculum. The Distributome infrastructure enables representation, demonstration, computation and visualization of a large number of probability distributions, their interrelations and their applications integrated with associated class and out-of-class activities to advance learning.