ODS Graphics procedures primarily strive towards the following goal: "Make simple graphs easy and complex graphs possible". SGPLOT procedure allows you create simple graphs with a single plot statement, and create complex graphs by layering together or combining multiple plot statements. Generally, the appearance follows the guidelines set by industry
Every day 91 Americans die from opioid abuse, every nine seconds a student drops out of high school and every 47 seconds a child is confirmed to be abused or neglected. These are sobering statistics that show the challenge our government leaders face to help those in need. While there
SAS 9.4 maintenance release 5 was released on Sept 19, 2017. This release includes many new items including integration with SAS Viya and SAS Studio, a web application for SAS development. Also Included with this release are some cool new features in the graphics domain, some of which were requested
The latest post in our Equity in Education series focuses on the achievement gap. National achievement data show that our public education systems work well for students with means. And not so well for disadvantaged students. Racial achievement gaps are found in the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also
"Coming to America" - it's been the name of a funny movie and a dramatic song (can you name the actor & singer without cheating?!?) It's also been a dream for many, and an action for some. People have been coming to America both legally and illegally for many years, but there's one special category
On a recent visit to an In-House Users Group meeting at a Pharmaceutical company, I presented a 1/2 day seminar on creating Clinical Graphs using SG Procedures. Polling the audience for their experience with these procedures indicated that many SAS users are not familiar with these new ways to create graphs. So,
Recent news reports indicate that the number of illegal immigrants apprehended along the US/Mexican border has dropped significantly since Trump took office. So, even though Trump hasn't had time to build a physical wall, perhaps there's a virtual wall in place now (built from the change in attitudes)? I've seen
The government has an unfathomable amount of data -- and it grows more and more each year. This puts agencies in a unique and important position to use that data for good. Whether it be improving government operations, solving some of the nation’s biggest challenges or empowering citizens in new
With Hurricane Irma recently pummeling pretty much the entire state of Florida, I got to wondering where past hurricanes have hit the state. Let's get some data, and figure out how to best analyze it using SAS software! I did a bit of web searching, and found the following map
As Hurricane Irma makes its way through the Caribbean, and heads towards the United States, the big question on everyone's mind ... is the hurricane going to hit my city? Or, as some people like to say, "should I buy milk & bread?" Let's analyze & map some data to
I suppose we've all been watching Hurricane Irma rip through the Caribbean like a giant buzzsaw blade, with wind speeds over 180mph. This is one of those rare Category 5 storms. But just how rare are Category 5 hurricanes? According to the Wikipedia page, hurricanes with wind speeds >=157mph are
Die EU-Datenschutz-Grundverordnung kommt näher – ausweichen oder draufhalten? In den letzten Wochen hatte ich die tolle Gelegenheit mit zahlreichen Kunden und Partnern über die neue EU-Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DS-GVO) zu sprechen. Die Meinungen und Erwartungen sind dabei wirklich außerordentlich breit gefächert. Das ist nicht weiter verwunderlich, denn das Thema hat zuletzt stark an
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept 19 ... which always gets me thinking and wondering about modern-day pirates. Most movies usually focus on pirates from the Golden Age of piracy (a couple hundred years ago), when pirates typically stole ships and booty (treasure). But modern day pirates usually board
If you know me, you probably know that I spend a lot of time on the water. I like speed paddling (dragon boat, outrigger canoe, surfski, and racing SUP), and I also have a big pontoon boat at Jordan Lake where I try to go fishing at least once a
Veterans transitioning back to civilian life face a number of challenges, many of which involve working in a non-military environment. The Honor Foundation helps Navy SEALs and other current and transitioning members of the U.S. Special Operations community enter civilian life. Last week, a group of former special operators visited several
With North Korea's growing missile capabilities in the news lately, I thought it would be interesting to create a map showing how far (or close) they are from other parts of the world. I first did a few searches on the Web, to see what maps are already out there.
The State of Illinois faces an unprecedented budget crisis, with more than $15 billion in unpaid bills. While experts will argue over the exact causes of states' financial struggles, many are pointing to the problem of state leaders avoiding long-term budgetary problems for short-term fixes. Illinois is not alone in
With all the recent talk about some people wanting to move from the US to Canada, I got to wondering how cold, and how far north Canada is. And after a few Google searches, I was surprised to learn that 27 US states are actually farther north than the southernmost point
Did you pay your taxes? From stiff penalties to even jail time, the federal government provides plenty of incentive for citizens to pay, but each year nearly one in five Americans do not pay on time. This leads to a more than $450 billion gap in unpaid taxes, creating a
I recently saw an interesting PEW study showing the percent of each state's revenue that came from federal funds. They had some pretty nice graphs ... but just like jell-o, there's always room for more graphs, eh! Let's start with the map. Their map had an informative title, a reasonable gradient
Too much to do and not enough time to do it. That's a common refrain in government, but an important one because of the critical role government plays in the lives of so many. In a new book from SAS, A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments: Using Big Data
When it comes to economic activity, a handful of the largest metropolitan areas in the US account for lion's share. In 2013, the top 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) accounted for 50% of the total US Gross Domestic Product (GDP). I recently came across a map created by Alexandr Trubetskoy
Employment - that's been a hot topic here in the US lately. Many of the manufacturing jobs we had in past decades are gone now, and it would be great if there was a crystal ball to predict which jobs might be at risk of disappearing in the future. The
Procurement fraud, often a form of internal fraud, is common fraud’s black sheep of the family...whispered about at gatherings or ignored in hopes that it will simply go away. No one wants to shine a questioning light onto trusted employees or imply wrongdoing within our purchasing departments, but the fact
최근 양귀비 불법 재배와 연예인 마약 사건이 잇달아 발생하면서 국내에서는 멀게 느껴졌던 마약 범죄에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있습니다. 실제 관세청은 올해 상반기 마약 밀수가 전년 대비 2.6배 증가했으며, 밀수된 마약의 종류까지 다양해졌다고 발표했는데요. 국가는 이처럼 급증하는 마약 밀수를 차단하기 위해 조사 인력과 장비를 확충하고, 검색 기법을 적극 개발하겠다고 밝혔습니다. 이미
In May, the New York Times published an article “The Little Known Statistician Who Taught Us to Measure Teachers” which profiled the life of Dr. Bill Sanders. The author reflected on Dr. Sanders’ life and work improving education for all students. For those of us in education, Dr. Sanders’ work
Carbon Dioxide ... CO2. Humans breathe out 2.3 pounds of it per day. It's also produced when we burn organic materials & fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas). Plants use it for photosynthesis, which in turn produces oxygen. It is also a greenhouse gas, which many claim
Contrario a lo que se podría pensar, el dinero público es finito. Y cuando los recursos y los presupuestos son limitados, se debe asegurar que éstos se destinen a los servicios que requieren los ciudadanos. De ahí que sea sumamente importante prevenir el fraude, los errores y el abuso que
Two of my colleagues have shared their experiences as a statistic and a child who could have been left behind. I too have my own story that helped drive my passion. All of us define equity in different ways. Equity is a concept that is hard to define, and we
The role of analytics in combating terrorism Earlier this spring, I found myself walking through a quiet and peaceful grove of spruce trees south of the small hamlet of Foy outside of Bastogne, Belgium. On travel in Europe, I happened to have some extra time before heading to London. I
