Article: The production of stratigraphical range-diagrams by automatic methods

A package of computer programs has been developed on the Institute of Geological Sciences' IBM 1130 computer which, after accepting and sorting data submitted on a simple input formal, draws straligraphical range and abundance diagrams to any desired scale. The range-diagrams may be of first occurrence; last occurrence; taxonomic order; any specified order including sorting within sub-groups. An ornamented lilhological plot is accurately aligned and a correctly ordered, punctuated and type-set list of fossil names may be produced from companion dictionaries. The resultant diagram is suitable for direct publication. It is estimated that, the programs having been installed, the computer method produces diagrams in one-tenth of the time and at one-quarter of the cost (within the Institute of Geological Sciences) of manual production.