The routine described in this chapter have primary application in the areas of reliability and life testing, but they may find application in any situation in which time is a variable of interest. Kalbfleisch and Prentice (1980), Elandt-Johnson and Johnson (1980), Lee (1980), Gross and Clark (1975), Lawless (1982), and Chiang (1968) are references for discussing the models and methods used here.

The KAPLAN_MEIER_ESTIMATES Function produces Kaplan-Meier (product-limit) estimates of the survival distribution in a single population.

The PROP_HAZARDS_GEN_LIN Function computes the parameter estimates in a proportional hazards model.

The SURVIVAL_GLM Function fits any of several generalized linear models for survival data, and computes estimates of survival probabilities based upon the same models.

The NONPARAM_HAZARD_RATE Function performs nonparametric hazard rate estimation using kernel functions and quasi-likelihoods.

The LIFE_TABLES Function computes an actuarial table based either upon a cohort followed over time or a cross-section of a population.