Date:         Wed, 5 Nov 1997 08:37:33 -0800
Reply-To:     "kmself@ix.netcom.com" <kmself@ix.netcom.com>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Karsten M. Self" <kmself@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Organization: Self Analysis
Subject:      Irregular axes under SAS/GRAPH
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I've developed a method, am looking for a better (or built-in) way.
 
I am plotting data which typically falls in a narrow range, but has
periodic outliers.  Range might be -3.2 to 3.2, outliers might be in the
positive or negative thousands.  Using regular linear (e.g.: -4 to 4 by 1
) axes, I have a choice of either resolving detail of typical data, or
showing all outlier data, but not both.
 
The solution developed is to generate an axis order description with
variable scaling -- regular sequential through typical data values, and
irregular (typically logarithmic) through outlier values (e.g.: -10000,
-100, -4, -3, ... 3, 4, 100, 10000) -- which can be done fairly easily,
and represents both the detail and the extreme values (and has a certain
Tufte-esque feel to it, for those familiar with his concepts of
visualization).
 
The GPLOT procedure acknowledges this by printing a warning "axis
intervals are not evenly spaced" -- well, that's what I'd requested, no?
 I don't like unnecessary warnings in my log (I tend to treat warnings as
errors, however in this case, the notice is of an intended effect).
 
Questions:
 
 - is there a way to disable the warning message via options to the GPLOT
procedure?
 - is there an alternate way to specify axis with irregular scaling,
without generating the warning message?
 
A colleague tells me of another site which was doing similar work, I'd be
interested in experiences and/or pointers to conference papers, etc.
 
Thanks.
 
Karsten M. Self (kmself@ix.netcom.com)
 
    What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?
    (Welchen Teil von "Gestalt" verstehen Sie nicht?)