Create SAS Maps on the Web

SAS GIS and mapping functions have always been under-utilized. In the last SAS technical report, a new Web interface has been introduced for creating maps in SAS. The nice thing is you can download the data and SAS programs for free, and creating a map as a GIF file is just a snap.

The site is located at the Data Visualization Community Web site under SAS.com (http://www.sas.com/rnd/datavisualization/mapsonline/html/maps.html).

Screen shot of the SAS Maps Online site

You can create a map for the world, for a country, for a continent and even for a group. There are nine different world maps to choose from. Two examples are as follows:

map of the world

¡@

continents of the world

Creating a country map is a piece of cake. Just select the continent and country from the drop-down menus from the main page and click create map. Viola:

the United States with states delineated

¡@

The best thing about the site is that it lets you download data and sample programs so that you to create and modify maps locally. An example is:

/************************************************

* this program will create a simple map *

************************************************/;

filename gsasfile "c:\temp\hkdb1.gif";

* Colors for each continent ;

%let CNA = cx669966;

%let CSA = cx336699;

%let CEUROPE = cx9966CC;

%let CAFRICA = cxFF9900;

%let CASIA = cxFFFF99;

%let CSP = cxCC0066;

options fmtsearch=(sashelp.mapfmts);

%macro show(cntry,dsn,dsn2,lid1,lid2,type,legend,mode,n);

/**** this legend statement may or may not be used in this map ****/

legend label=none mode=&mode across=&n origin=(0,0);

proc gmap map=&dd1..&dsn data=&dd2..&dsn2;

id &lid1; choro &lid2/discrete &legend coutline=graycc name="&dsn";

format country glcnsu.;

title "&cntry";

run;

%mend;

%let dd1=maps;

%let dd2=maps;

pattern1 v=s c=cxFFFF99 r=100 ;

goptions dev=gif transparency gaccess=gsasfile goutmode=replace xpixels=600 ypixels=400 ftext=simplex

gunit=pct htext=.15in ctext=black

colors=("cxffcc00" "cxcc0066" "cx3366ff" "cxff9900" "cx0099cc" "cxffff99" "cx336699" "cx9966cc" "cx669966" "cxcc9966" "cx009999" "cxcccc99");

FOOTNOTE;

%show( %str( HONG KONG ) ,HKDB1 ,HKDB2 ,id,idname,solid,nolegend,share,3);

Well, the program generates the destination of my vacation this summer- home sweet home*:

Hong Kong - Karl's Homeland

Have a great summer.

(*) Unfortunately, it only shows the Hong Kong Island, which is one of the three main regions that constitute Hong Kong. They are, namely, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories.