Where does indicator collide?

In measurement and structural equation modelling, an indicator is an observed variable used to represent an unobservable latent construct: each questionnaire item or measured score is an indicator that loads on the factor it is meant to tap, and a set of indicators together operationalises the construct. Bollen's Structural equations with latent variables formalised how reflective and formative indicators relate to the latents behind them. The referent is a manifest stand-in for a latent variable, assessed by how well it reflects that latent, not a signal of the economy, a species, or a colour change in a flask.[1]

Unit

An observed variable's loading on and reliability for a latent construct

Recovery means

Not applicable

Measured by

Evaluated by factor loadings, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity relative to the latent

In economics an indicator is a measurable series whose movements track or anticipate the state of the economy, classified as leading, coincident, or lagging according to whether it turns before, with, or after the business cycle. Stock and Watson's New indexes of coincident and leading economic indicators gave a statistical basis for combining such series into indexes of where the economy is and where it is heading. The referent is an observable time series that proxies for aggregate economic conditions, a different construct from a latent-variable indicator, a diagnostic species, or a reagent that changes colour.[2]

Unit

A time series whose turning points lead, coincide with, or lag the business cycle

Recovery means

Not applicable

Measured by

Judged by its lead or lag at cyclical turning points and its forecasting value for aggregate activity

In ecology an indicator species is an organism whose presence, abundance, or condition signals something about the state of its environment, such as pollution, habitat quality, or the integrity of a community, so that monitoring the species substitutes for measuring the condition directly. Dufrêne and Legendre's Species assemblages and indicator species provided a statistical index to identify species characteristic of particular site groups. The referent is a living diagnostic of environmental state, assessed by how faithfully it marks a condition, unrelated to a latent-variable proxy, an economic series, or a chemical reagent.[3]

Unit

A species whose occurrence or abundance diagnoses an environmental condition

Recovery means

Not applicable

Measured by

Quantified by indicator values combining a species' specificity to and fidelity within a site group