A method of obtaining a consistent evaluation of the state of the system which has been monitored by measurement of multiple parameters of that system. The multiple parameters are used to calculate a single dimensional value based on the distance between the current state and normal states of the system using a Parzen Windows probability function. Consistent single dimensional values regardless of the dimensionality of the original data set can be obtained by finding a relationship between the single dimensional value and the probability of status of the system. Different relationships are obtained for different dimensionalities of data sets. Sensor malfunction can also be detected by testing the probability of the state implied by measuring all of the available parameters against the probability of the state implied by ignoring different individual ones of the parameters. A significant disparity in the two probabilities indicate possible sensor malfunction.