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Analytics | Data Visualization | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinJuly 1, 2020 4

Pooled, within-group, and between-group covariance matrices

A previous article discusses the pooled variance for two or groups of univariate data. The pooled variance is often used during a t test of two independent samples. For multivariate data, the analogous concept is the pooled covariance matrix, which is an average of the sample covariance matrices of the

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Data Visualization | Programming Tips

Rick WicklinJune 22, 2020 0

Visualize the structure of a sparse matrix

Sometimes in matrix computations, it is important to display the nonzero elements of a matrix. This can be useful for visualizing the structure of a sparse matrix (one that has many zeros) and it is also useful when describing a matrix algorithm (such as Gaussian elimination) that introduces zeros at

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Rick WicklinMay 13, 2020 2

Find points where a regression curve has zero slope

This article shows how to find local maxima and maxima on a regression curve, which means finding points where the slope of the curve is zero. An example appears at the right, which shows locations where the loess smoother in a scatter plot has local minima and maxima. Except for

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Rick WicklinMay 6, 2020 3

What does 'flatten the curve' mean? To which curve does it apply?

During this coronavirus pandemic, there are many COVID-related graphs and curves in the news and on social media. The public, politicians, and pundits scrutinize each day's graphs to determine which communities are winning the fight against coronavirus. Interspersed among these many graphs is the oft-repeated mantra, "Flatten the curve!" As

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Rick WicklinApril 22, 2020 1

Visualize the case fatality rate for COVID-19 in US counties

A previous article describes the funnel plot (Spiegelhalter, 2005), which can identify samples that have rates or proportions that are much different than expected. The funnel plot is a scatter plot that plots the sample proportion of some quantity against the size of the sample. The variance of the sample

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Rick WicklinApril 20, 2020 5

Use a funnel plot to visualize rates: The case fatality rate for COVID-19 in North Carolina counties

Death is always a difficult topic to discuss, and death has been in the news a lot during this tragic coronavirus pandemic. Many news stories focus on states, counties, or cities that have the most cases or the most deaths. A related statistic is the case fatality rate, which is

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Data Visualization | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinApril 15, 2020 0

Add diagonal reference lines to SAS graphs: The LINEPARM and VECTOR statements

I previously wrote about the advantages of adding horizontal and vertical reference lines to a graph. You can also add a diagonal reference line to a graph. The SGPLOT procedure in SAS supports two primary ways to add a diagonal reference line: The LINEPARM statement enables you to specify a

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Data Visualization | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinApril 13, 2020 7

Add horizontal and vertical reference lines to SAS graphs: The REFLINE statement

Data tell a story. A purpose of data visualization is to convey that story to the reader in a clear and impactful way. Sometimes you can let the data "speak for themselves" in an unadorned graphic, but sometimes it is helpful to add reference lines to a graph to emphasize

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Data Visualization

Rick WicklinApril 8, 2020 6

On reducing the spread of coronavirus

Every day we face risks. If we drive to work, we risk a fatal auto accident. If we eat red meat and fatty foods, we risk a heart attack. If we go out in public during a pandemic, we risk contracting a disease. A logical response to risk is to

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Data Visualization | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinApril 6, 2020 2

The geometric distribution in SAS

I have written several articles about how to work with continuous probability distributions in SAS. I always emphasize that it is important to be able to compute the four essential functions for working with a statistical distribution. Namely, you need to know how to generate random values, how to compute

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