Error analysis of genetic linkage data

Any system of measurement has inherent sources of error. Research into the sources of error and how to compensate for them not only improves the accuracy of any analysis, but often leads to a better understanding of the underlying system and improved methods of measurement and analysis. Like other systems of measurement, the mapping of the human genome at any level is subject to error. Here we will consider error in human genetic linkage mapping, however this is just one example of error to consider in the broader field of genome research and the approaches used in this study can serve as examples of how error analysis could be applied generally to other genomic measurements.