A SaTScan macro accessory for cartography (SMAC) package implemented with SAS software

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• SaTScan is a widely used software for detecting spatial and temporal disease clusters.
• Frequent SaTScan analysis for disease surveillance presents usability challenges due to its graphical interface and output visualization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the SaTScan Macro Accessory for Cartography (SMAC) package.
• To streamline the process of running SaTScan multiple times and improve its output.

Main Methods:

• Development of a package comprising four SAS macros.
• Integration of SaTScan input file generation, execution, and graphical output creation within SAS.
• Option to combine macros for a single-step workflow.

Main Results:

• The SMAC package offers an easier method for executing SaTScan analyses.
• SMAC enables the creation of enhanced graphical outputs directly within SAS.
• Individual and combined macros facilitate automated SaTScan workflows.

Conclusions:

• The SMAC package significantly enhances the usability of SaTScan.
• SMAC provides more informative and visually accessible SaTScan output for disease surveillance.