The COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak has been in the news a lot lately, and everyone is probably looking for a quick/easy way to see the data. The best visualization I've seen so far is this dashboard by Johns Hopkins. Here's a screen-capture: But before we dive into the data analysis, let's
You might have seen a SAS Global Forum infographic floating around the web. And maybe you wondered how you might create something similar using SAS software? If so, then this blog's for you - I have created my own version of the infographic using SAS/Graph, and I'll show you how
Information Dashboards were the hot topic a few years ago, but the hype seems to have died down lately. A good dashboard is still a very useful way to summarize, analyze, and share data - so I thought I'd re-visit the topic, and try to improve an old dashboard. Did
As a kid who grew up in the 60s & 70s, I was a big fan of the original Star Trek TV series. And in the years since, I have seen lots of the Star Trek “technology” become a reality: cellphones, portable tablet computers, talking computers (Alexa/Siri), etc. But I
With educator preparation programs (EPPs) under fire, states must make difficult decisions on how to hold EPPs accountable, provide information for program improvement, and offer consumer information to the public on EPP efficacy. In conversations I’ve had with state leaders grappling with this issue, I have seen a debate arise
How does Santa keep track of everything on his big night? I can't confirm or deny that he uses SAS software -- but if he does, it would look a lot like this! ... A couple of years ago, I blogged about a prototype dashboard that I wrote for Santa. This
I’ve been to a fair number of SAS User Group International (SUGI) and SAS Global Forum conferences over the years, but I don’t think I’ve been to one as productive, well-organized and fun as this year’s conference in Washington DC. Part of what made the conference very relevant for many
I recently read an interesting article in The Economist, where they describe "The Big Mac index." This is an index they invented as a lighthearted guide to compare currencies in different countries. In their article they create a multi-panel display (similar to a dashboard) where they compare the index for several countries using
Managers, boards of directors, executives - everyone needs up-to-date information for decision making. And today that often means they need it in real-time. James Beaver and Tobin Scroggins from Farm Bureau Bank give their users the option of emailed reports for this real-time or near real-time information, or the users
Recently, I was having lunch with a city council member who shared a litany of comments about the outstanding job the city and its staff does in all areas of city operations. She remarked on how little the public understands about all the city does and how efficiently it’s done.
'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the world ... dot-matrix printers were humming as Santa's naughty/nice list was unfurled... Can you imagine what it must have been like years ago when Santa had to maintain his naughty/nice list by hand, with a feather quill pen?!? Or even these
Useful charts can serve to persuade an audience of certain "truths", because they take real data and communicate it in a clear, visual medium. But what happens when you know something to be true, but you have no real data? Should you let the lack of hard data prevent you
