Six Steps to Set Up Syndromic Surveillance Using EARS

Step 1. 

Gather data to analyze and store in one of the following formats:

• SAS dataset,
• Microsoft Access database table,
• Microsoft Excel worksheet, or
• Any delimited text file.

See the Data Requirements section for more information on the type of variables required within the data.

Step 2. 

Install SAS. The SAS license should include the following at minimum:

• Base SAS,
• SAS/GRAPH,
• SAS/STAT, and
• SAS Access for PC File Formats.

You may be able to use the CDC SAS license if you currently receive funding from a CDC grant or cooperative agreement. Contact the EARS project for information on your eligibility.

Step 3. 

Install EARS. Contact the EARS project to request a free copy of EARS.

Step 4. 

Complete the User_Input_For_EARS.xls spreadsheet in the EARS folder.

Step 5. 

Run EARS.sas within a SAS session. This step can be automated to run at a specified time each day.

Step 6. 

View the EARS HTML reports. These reports can easily be placed on an intranet or internet site.