Using Spatial Data with SAS/GIS Software

Using the SAS/GIS Interface

If you have no previous experience with SAS System window applications, some of the user interface features of SAS/GIS software may be unfamiliar to you.

Starting SAS/GIS Software

Use the following steps to start a SAS/GIS software session:

Open a SAS session.
From the SAS menu bar, select

Solutions Analysis Geographic Information System

Or Type GIS in the SAS Command Box or on any SAS command line.

Using the Mouse

SAS/GIS software is designed to use two mouse buttons.

The mouse selection button selects map features and activates various tools. To drag with the mouse, you hold down the mouse selection button while moving the mouse.
The mouse menu button activates pop-up menus. The pop-up menu that appears depends on the pointer's position when you press the mouse menu button.
By default, the left mouse button is the selection button and the right mouse button is the menu button, but most hosts permit you to change this (for example, to accommodate left-handed users).

Using Field Value Controls

In most places where you must supply a value in a SAS/GIS window, you will see either a pull-out control or a pull-down control, or both, presented in conjunction with the value entry fields, as shown in Typical Field Value Controls.

Typical Field Value Controls

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Selecting a pull-down control displays a list of valid choices for the option. List Displayed by the Style Pull-down Control shows the list that is displayed by selecting the pull-down control for the Style field in Typical Field Value Controls.

List Displayed by the Style Pull-down Control

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Selecting a pull-out control opens a new window in which you can interactively select appropriate values. Window Opened by the Color Pull-out Control shows the window opened by selecting the pull-out control for the Color field in Typical Field Value Controls.

Window Opened by the Color Pull-out Control

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Selecting Maps and SAS Data Sets

Whenever you need to specify the name of a SAS data set or SAS catalog entry, SAS/GIS software opens a File Open window like the one shown in Typical File Open Window.

Typical File Open Window

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The window provides an intuitive way to find the SAS data set or catalog entry that you need. It also makes it impossible to enter an invalid name, since only those choices that are appropriate for the operation you are performing are presented for selection.

To select each level of the SAS name from the tree view in the file requestor window, double-click the mouse selection button on your choice. Once you make a selection, the list of available choices for the next level of the name is displayed.

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