I want to use some field collected data to form a Gaussian/Normal distribution model. Then use this model as the input to a simulation software. Then increase the mean and the standard deviation to see the effects.
I know how to compute the mean and standard deviation. However, the field data I get are averages over a time period. Specifically, the equipment generating the data outputs a value every 2 minutes. It is the average in that 2-min window. So if I compute the standard deviation using these 2-min averaged data, the results for the estimated standard deviation are smaller than the actual. For example, if I get data every second, instead of every 2 minutes, the expanded data should be more dynamic and have a higher estimated standard deviation.
I don’t know if my analysis is correct. Intuitively, it is. If it indeed is correct, is it possible to estimate the actual standard deviation using the averaged data, assuming the data is Gaussian/Normal?
Thank you.
David
