GrAPL: a high-level statistical graphics language prototype

ABSTRACT

The work of statisticians and data analysts requires the fitting of a wide range of statistical models that attempt to explore relationships between variables. Before doing these computations, it is routine to produce exploratory graphs in order to discover these relationships. After model fitting again graphical tools are required in order to explore how satisfactory the model fitting process has been. It is therefore really important for the statistician to be able to produce a wide range of graphs easily and quickly.GrAPL is a prototype language for this purpose; it uses Adrian Smith's RainPro as a graphics engine and attempts to incorporate some of the latest statistical graphical tools that are available in modern statistical packages within a coherent graphical language. APL is used as a `tool of thought' to encourage experimentation within a short development period.

REFERENCES

• 1: Cleveland, W., Robust locally weighted regression and smoothing scatterplots, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 74, (1979) 829-836.
• 2: Cook R. D., and Weisberg S., An Introduction to Regression Graphics, Wiley, 1994.
• 3: Freedman, D., Pisani, R., and Purves, R., Statistics, W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 1978.
• 4: Morgan, E., ASLGREG: Proposed Additional Features for Predictions with Confidence Limits, VECTOR Vol.10 No. 3 January 1994.
• 5: Smith, A., RainPro Publication Graphics, Causeway Graphical Systems Ltd.. Malton, North Yorkshire.
• 6: Smith, A., Stonewalling in APL, VECTOR Vol. 9.1 July 1992.
• 7: S-PLUS4 User's Guide, Data Analysis Products Division, MathSoft, Inc, Seattle, Washington.
• 8: Sykes, A. M., APL and its Applications, Proceedings of APL94, Antwerp.
• 9: {Sykes, A. M., and Ansell, I. J., Beaton's Recipe for Least-Squares, VECTOR Vol 8, No. 1, July 1991.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  G. Mathematics of Computing
  G.3 PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS
      Subjects: Statistical computing

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.6 Methodology and Techniques
          Subjects: Languages

General Terms:
Design, Languages