Any results that are reported to constitute a blinded,
independent validation of a statistical model (or mathematical classifier or predictor) must be accompanied by a detailed explanation that includes: 1) specification of the exact «locked down» form of the model, including all data processing steps, algorithm for calculating the model output, and any cutpoints that might be applied to the model output for final classification, 2) date on which the model or predictor was fully locked down in exactly the form described, 3) name of the individual (s) who maintained the blinded data and oversaw the evaluation (e.g., honest broker), 4) statement of assurance that no modifications, additions, or exclusion were made to the
validation data set from the point at which the model was locked down and that neither the
validation data nor any subset of it had ever been used to assess or refine the model being
tested
Fully
independent reconstructions will allow mutual
validation during their overlapping time intervals and spectral ranges and will help
test methods for fusing high - and low - resolution paleoclimate data.