Provenance and Reliability: Managing Metadata for Statistical Models

In this paper we present a general model of the information (meta-data) needed to represent statistical modelling and its results. We discuss the design process for this model (in terms of both objectives and methodology), along with the resultant design. However, we recognise that it is not enough to design a static structure for the meta-data, we also need functionality to support the end users of the statistical results in exploring the provenance and reliability of the results. We have identified some generic functionality that is useful in this, but also recognise that its presentation must be tailored to the domain of interest and the level of understanding of the user