R/rsatscan.R

In rsatscan: Tools for Running the External 'SaTScan' Software using R Classes and Methods

#' Tools for Running the External 'SaTScan' Software using R Classes and Methods.
#' 
#' The 'SaTScan'(TM) <https://www.satscan.org> software uses spatial and 
#' space-time scan statistics to detect and evaluate spatial and space-time clusters. 
#' With the 'rsatscan' package, you can run the external SaTScan software from 
#' within R using R data formats. To successfully select appropriate parameter 
#' settings within 'rsatscan', you must first learn 'SaTScan'. 
#' 
#' The parameter files are constructed in R using the \code{ss.options} function and written 
#' to the OS using the \code{write.ss.prm} function.  SaTScan is run using the \code{satscan}
#' function.  The \code{satscan} function returns a  \code{satscan-class} object that has a
#' slot for every possible file that SaTScan makes, plus one for the parameter file you used
#' to generate the output.
#' 
#' The package also includes  \code{write.???} functions which will write case, control, 
#' geography, population, etc., files in the format expected by SaTScan, if you happen to have
#' them (or make them) in R and want to write them into the OS for SaTScan to use.
#' 
#' There are \code{summary} and \code{print} methods for \code{satscan-class} 
#' objects.  There are also \code{plot} methods in the \code{sf} package, which
#' can be used if the \code{sf} package and \code{sf} packages are
#' installed and SaTScan generated a shapefile.
#' 
#' For a new analysis, always start with the SaTScan GUI to test parameter
#' settings, run an example analysis, etc. Once parameter settings are
#' finalized, open the parameter file in a text editor and use as a template for
#' defining each parameter in R syntax using the `ss.options()` or
#' `ss.options.extra()` function. For example, per R syntax, string values and
#' parameter names with special characters must be in quotes. See the
#' `ss.options` and `ss.options.extra` sections for more details.
#' 
#' Currently the package works with SaTScan >= 9.2 and has been tested on Windows 10.  
#' Please contact the maintainer if you find success or trouble on other OSes. 
#' 
#' @docType package
#' @name rsatscan
"_PACKAGE"