A discriminant analysis of information systems effectiveness: categorical dependent variables of DSS impact

A large sample of 936 vessel accident cases occurring between 1979 and 1987 on the Lower Mississippi River were cluster analyzed to generate four groups relatively unique in their respective attribute values. The attributes used to cluster the accidents included participation in the U.S. Coast Guard´s New Orleans Vessel Traffic Service (NOLA-VTS), type of accident, river stage, traffic level, system utilization (total vessel movements which were VTS-supported), accident location, weather conditions, and time of accident. The four-group cluster solution resulted in logical groupings, given the realities of navigating the Lower Mississippi River. The four groups resulting from the cluster analysis were characterized as Group 1: Danger Zone, one hundred percent NOLA-VTS participants whose accidents occurred primarily on the most dangerous part of the river; Group 2: Bad Conditions for Good Navigators, characterized by a high rate of participation and unserious accidents occurring in treacherous navigating conditions; Group 3: Probably Preventable, characterized by low participation rates and serious accidents occurring in not the worst navigating conditions; and Group 4: Accidents That Shouldn´t Have Happened, characterized by zero participation and serious accidents occurring in reasonable navigating conditions