Click here to see the SAS code.
Click here to see the example.

---------------------------------------------------------------

This is a SAS/Graph imitation of the following InfoGraphic:
http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1004/mean-happiness/transparency.jpg

I looked on the worlddatabaseofhappiness website, but couldn't find the 
exact/same data the original chart was based on, so I estimated the data
for my chart.

I laid out the multiple graphs on the page using "proc greplay".

I created each of the smiley-charts using Proc Gplot, with a 
lot of space/offset at the top, and annotated a big yellow 'pie'
for the face (and 2 black pies for the eyes).  The mouth is the
actual data-line of the gplot.  The year at the first & last 
obsn are put there using annotated text labels.

-----

Critique of Graph:

Although this is an interesting/attention-grabbing graph,
there are some major "flaws" imho...

The faces resemble chernoff faces, in which the expression 
on the face corresponds to the data values ... but in this
case, although the curvature of the mouth/line might resemble 
an expression, that is really just coincidence -- and I think
users could be mislead by that.  (For example, if the mouth 
looks like a frown or smile, users will assume the data is
correspondingly good or bad.)

If the purpose is to 'compare' the happiness of these countries,
then they should be plotted so that you can distinctly see the
differences very easily, without having to look at 13 separate
faces.

Back to Samples Index