Earth scientists make observations and gather data about the natural processes that operate on planet Earth. They formulate and test hypotheses on the forces that have acted on a particular region to create its structure, and they also make predictions about future changes to the planet. All of these steps in exploring the Earth involve acquiring and analyzing numerical data. An earth scientist therefore needs to have a firm understanding of statistical and numerical methods as well as the ability to utilize relevant computer software packages in order to be able to analyze the acquired data.