[Graham Donaldson]

Originally Posted by Cory

The only thing I didn't necessarily like about computer based scouting is that it becomes way too easy to just let the computer tell you that team xyz is statistically the best, and to go solely off the rankings. The scouting guys would tell us that the program says one team is the best bet for us to pick, when the mentors and drive team all thought that other robots fit our strategy better, among other things. You have to be careful to supplement your personal knowledge of teams with the computer, rather than rely on the computer.

That is why it is important to have an opinion box on a form where a scouter can put in an opinion thing, ex. where a robot did not get up on the ramp but didn't because they didn't have enough time or were blocking the other ramp. As you said, the problem with plain statistics is that they sometimes hide the real details.

Conclusion: statistics are great, but personal opinion is critical as well.

The Canuck