Computational Agricultural Statistics Laboratory
Computational statistics for agricultural surveys.
We design samples, build survey tools and publish open software for producing agricultural and rural statistics. Based at the Department of Statistics of the Federal University of Pernambuco, in Recife, with researchers in Brazil and Colombia.
What we do
The CAST Lab is a cooperative academic environment for developing and testing computational and statistical methods applied to the production and analysis of agricultural and rural data. The group grew out of the sampling research at the Department of Statistics of UFPE and works with national statistical offices, FAO programmes and universities in Brazil and abroad.
Students join through the graduate programme in Statistics at UFPE and through undergraduate research projects. Most of what we produce is released as open source, mainly as R packages on CRAN.
In 2016 and 2017 the group planned and ran experiments in Brazil for FAO comparing the efficiency of statistical and computational methods for probability-sample agricultural surveys, within the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission. Since then it has trained graduate students and staff of official statistics agencies in Brazil and abroad.
- Probability sampling and survey methodology
- Master sampling frames, area and list frames, multiple-frame estimation and small-area methods for agricultural censuses and surveys.
- Computational tools for surveys
- Open-source software for sample selection, data collection in the field, paradata and quality control, released as R packages and web applications.
- Remote sensing for agriculture
- Satellite imagery and spatial statistics for crop area estimation, land use change and frame construction.
- Statistical modelling and data analysis
- Regression models for bounded and inflated responses, nonparametric methods, record linkage and machine learning applied to official data.
CAST is a research group certified by CNPq since 2016, with 14 researchers and 12 students registered, and partnerships with Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca. Group record at the CNPq directory
Research lines registered at CNPq
| Researchers | Students | |
|---|---|---|
| Model-based inference and data regression modelling | 9 | 3 |
| Probability Sampling and Survey Methodology for Agricultural Surveys | 9 | 3 |
| Computational Tools Development for Agricultural Surveys | 8 | |
| Métodos estatísticos e computacionais para monitoramento e vigilância epidemiológica, e de desastres naturais | 5 | 5 |
| Aprendizado de Máquina (Machine Learning) | 4 | 6 |
| Development and Innovation for Agricultural Remote Sensing Applications | 4 | 1 |
| Sampling Methods for Big Data | 4 | 2 |
| Inferencia causal | 1 | 1 |
In numbers
Counted from the sources listed in the footer.
People
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Cristiano FerrazProfessor of StatisticsFounding member -
André LeiteProfessor of Operations ResearchFounding member -
Raydonal OspinaProfessor of StatisticsFounding member -
Hemílio CoelhoProfessor of Statistics -
Andréa DinizResearcher -
Jodavid de Araújo FerreiraProfessor of Statistics -
Wilton BernardinoProfessor of Statistics -
Luz Milena Zea FernándezProfessor of Statistics - G Geiza Cristina da SilvaProfessor of Computer Science
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Francisco Jatobá de AndradeProfessor of Sociology - M Márcio de Aguiar Vasconcelos MonetaProfessor of Sociology
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Oscar Felipe Falcão RaposoResearcher -
Luciene Maria Torquato Cerqueira BatistaProfessor of Statistics -
João Eudes Miqueias Maciel TorresStatistician
Recent publications
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A latent competing-risk framework for zero-adjusted survival data with cure fraction via discrete frailty
Research Square, 2026
Preprint doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9986526/v1Open accessBibTeX
@misc{tojeiro2026alatentcompe, title = {A latent competing-risk framework for zero-adjusted survival data with cure fraction via discrete frailty}, author = {CYNTHIA A. V. TOJEIRO and VERA L. D. TOMAZELLA and HEMÍLIO F. C. COELHO}, year = {2026}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-9986526/v1}, url = {https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-9986526/latest.pdf} } -
A New Fuzzy Weibull-Based Naive Bayes Network for User Assessment in Virtual Reality Simulations
Lecture notes in computer science, 232-246, 2026
Conference paper doi:10.1007/978-981-92-2369-5_16BibTeX
@inproceedings{moraes2026anewfuzzywei, title = {A New Fuzzy Weibull-Based Naive Bayes Network for User Assessment in Virtual Reality Simulations}, author = {Ronei M. Moraes and Jodavid A. Ferreira and Isaac S. L. Araújo and Liliane S. Machado}, year = {2026}, booktitle = {Lecture notes in computer science}, pages = {232-246}, doi = {10.1007/978-981-92-2369-5_16}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-2369-5_16} } -
Associação entre modalidades de ingresso e desempenho acadêmico na Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz: Análise do coorte 2012
Revista Brasileira de Avaliação, 15, e151726-20, 2026
Journal article doi:10.4322/rbaval.202600072026BibTeX
@article{batista2026associacaoen, title = {Associação entre modalidades de ingresso e desempenho acadêmico na Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz: Análise do coorte 2012}, author = {BATISTA, LUCIENE MARIA TORQUATO CERQUEIRA and LISBOA, GUSTAVO JOAQUIM and REIS, SUZANA SANTOS DOS}, year = {2026}, journal = {Revista Brasileira de Avaliação}, volume = {15}, pages = {e151726-20}, doi = {10.4322/rbaval.202600072026} } -
Co-occurrence of nutritional risk, sarcopenia, and dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults: a cluster analysis
Research Square, 2026
Preprint doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10394029/v1Open accessBibTeX
@misc{travassos2026cooccurrence, title = {Co-occurrence of nutritional risk, sarcopenia, and dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults: a cluster analysis}, author = {Letícia de Carvalho Palhano Travassos and Hemílio Fernandes Campos Coelho and Jullyane Maia Barreto and Luiz Medeiros Araujo Lima Filho and Albert Espelt Hernàndez and Leandro Pernambuco}, year = {2026}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-10394029/v1}, url = {https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-10394029/latest.pdf} } -
Describing NDVI data from the GOLL-I regression
International Journal of Remote Sensing, 1, 1-20, 2026
Journal article doi:10.1080/01431161.2026.2716602BibTeX
@article{santos2026describingnd, title = {Describing NDVI data from the GOLL-I regression}, author = {SANTOS, PAULA T. G. and FERREIRA, JODAVID A. and NASCIMENTO, ABRAÃO D. C.}, year = {2026}, journal = {International Journal of Remote Sensing}, volume = {1}, pages = {1-20}, doi = {10.1080/01431161.2026.2716602}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2026.2716602} } -
Preprint doi:10.17605/osf.io/qr8yu
BibTeX
@misc{felix2026fromvoicetop, title = {From voice to partnership: empowering the public to become partners in health research – a scoping review}, author = {Felix, Jean Bendito and de Araújo Ferreira Jesus, Caline Cristine and Moriyama, Cristina Hamamura and Pereira, Luciana Papaleo and Cavalcante, Luana Alves and Hemilio Fernandes Campos Coelho and Longo, Egmar}, year = {2026}, doi = {10.17605/osf.io/qr8yu}, url = {https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/qr8yu} }
| Package | What it does | Version | Downloads, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| DT2 | 'DataTables' 2.x for R | 0.1.3 | 544 |
| capesR | Access to CAPES Data | 0.2.0 | 541 |
| datasusr | Fast Access to Brazilian Public Health Data from 'DATASUS' | 0.1.1 | 502 |
| diario | 'R' Interface to the 'Diariodeobras' Application | 0.1.2 | 462 |
| BigDataPE | Secure and Intuitive Access to 'BigDataPE' 'API' Datasets | 0.3.0 | 456 |
| apifetch | Token-Authenticated REST API Retrieval Toolkit | 0.2.0 | 449 |
| RapidFuzz | String Similarity Computation Using 'RapidFuzz' | 1.1.1 | 448 |
| webdav | A Simple Interface for Interacting with 'WebDAV' Servers | 0.2.0 | 443 |
Latest releases
Projects
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areaframe: an area sampling frame engine
Web platform for area-frame sampling in the FAO tradition, rewriting the lab's earlier R/Shiny tool. It builds grids of land segments over any region (GADM levels 0 to 2), supports probability designs (simple random, systematic, stratified with Neyman, Bethel and Kish allocations, PPS, spatially balanced LPM and the cube method), enriches segments with ESA WorldCover land cover, collects crowd classification of points and computes Horvitz-Thompson, Hájek and calibrated estimates with confidence intervals.
Since 2026. André Leite, Cristiano Ferraz, Raydonal Ospina
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Master sampling frames for agricultural statistics
Analytical studies and computational simulation of the construction and use of master sampling frames for generating agricultural and rural statistics, combining area and list frames.
Since 2016. Cristiano Ferraz, André Leite, Raydonal Ospina
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Software for sample design and field data collection
Open tools that support sample selection, enumerator assignment, data collection with mobile devices and quality control of agricultural surveys. Released as R packages and as the survey platform used in the field.
Since 2016. André Leite, Cristiano Ferraz
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Sample design for the National Agricultural Survey (PNAGRO)
Proposal led by the CAST Lab, through UFPE and its foundation FADE, to design the sampling plan of IBGE's new National Agricultural Survey (PNAGRO) with a dual frame combining area and list sampling, including a field study and training workshops with IBGE staff. Twelve months of work planned for 2027, under a United Nations Development Programme agreement with IBGE.
Planned for 2027. Cristiano Ferraz, André Leite, Raydonal Ospina
Work with us
Students interested in sampling, survey computing or statistics for agriculture can join through the graduate programme in Statistics at UFPE or an undergraduate research project. Statistical offices and research groups looking for collaboration on surveys or software can write to contact@castlab.org.