[R] Package norm has been removed. What to use for Maximum Likelihood Missing Data Imputation?

[Achim Zeileis]

On Fri, 17 Jul 2009, Daniel Abbott wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I apologize if an answer to my questions is available, or if I
> submitted this question incorrectly. I have read the mailing lists, as
> well as the R Project and CRAN homepages. However, I may have missed
> something.
>
> I noticed the package 'norm' has been removed. Its page
> http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/norm/index.html now reads:
>
> "Package ?norm? was removed from the CRAN repository.
>
> Formerly available versions can be obtained from the archive."
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1. Why was norm removed? I used the package and found it to be very
> useful. Is there a serious error in the package or another problem?

What do you consider to be a serious error?

Typical reasons for removing a package from the active CRAN repository are 
that the package does not pass CRAN checks and/or that the package 
maintainer is irresponsive. (norm, specifically, hadn't been updated since 
2002.) This is serious enough to make all automatic CRAN features such as 
daily package checks and building of binary packages too cumbersome.

But if you do not consider this to be serious, you can keep on using 
"norm", it is still in CRAN's package archives. Or, even better, you could 
adopt it, fix it, and release a new version to CRAN (although it is not 
quite clear to me whether the norm's license allows this).

(Note that CRAN runs no checks whether the methods implemented are 
reasonable or well-suited for the problem they are trying to address etc.)

> 2. If norm should no longer be removed, what is another good package
> for ML (maximum likelihood) missing data imputation? I have seen
> several recommendations online, but I wonder which one is currently
> the "reigning champ."

The "Multivariate" and the "SocialSciences" task views have sections about 
missing data
   http://CRAN.R-project.org/view=Multivariate
   http://CRAN.R-project.org/view=SocialSciences

Additionally, I can recall that there is the Amelia II package:
   http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=Amelia
and potentially others.

hth,
Z

> Thank you very much. I appreciate your time!
>
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