Coerce Data to SaTScan Meta Locations

Creates an ss_tbl object of type "met" (SaTScan Meta Locations File). A meta locations file defines groupings of multiple locations into a single meta-location (e.g., aggregating tracts into counties). SaTScan uses these groupings to treat members as belonging to the same higher-level unit when a meta-location analysis is requested.

This constructor expects a wide representation (one row per meta-location, with one or more member columns). It preserves the input data and records member_cols so the writer can output the correct SaTScan ASCII format.

Usage

ss_met(data, meta_loc_id, member_cols)

Arguments

data

A data frame containing meta-location definitions.

meta_loc_id

Column name for the meta-location ID.

member_cols

Character vector of column names representing member locations.

Value

An ss_tbl object of type "met".

SaTScan File Specification

The Meta Locations File has the following structure: <MetaLocationID> <Member1ID> <Member2ID> ...

• MetaLocationID: Identifier for the meta-location (e.g., a county).

• MemberIDs: One or more columns, each representing a member location (e.g., a census tract) that belongs to the MetaLocationID.