Coming Soon

The GIS Committee, working with a consultant, Luc Anselin, PhD of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, selected four spatial analysis software packages to be reviewed based on the following criteria: 1) they were free and/or open source, 2) they were up-to-date and under active development, 3) they came with a manual and documentation, 4) they were downloadable from the Internet, and 5) they worked within a Microsoft Windows operating system. This report, was accepted by the NAACCR Board of Directors on August 18, 2004.

• • Review of Cluster Analysis Software

After many productive and collaborative years with Texas A&M, NAACCR has moved to a different geocoding vendor effective July 1, 2024. Earlier in 2024, the SEER program incorporated Geocodio into SEER*DMS after evaluating both geocoders. NAACCR reviewed the results of the SEER analysis and decided to move forward with Geocodio as 1) it is more cost effective; and 2) to support one geocoding approach for all US registries.

What to expect:

1. There will be no change for SEER*DMS users as Geocodio is already integrated into their software.
2. Registries can continue to geocode with Texas A&M through June 30th, 2024.
3. Non SEER*DMS registries will geocode using a batch process similar to our old vendor.
4. SEER*DMS users can also batch process if needed.
5. While the process will be similar, there are changes to data available for upload, i.e. match quality variables. These will be fully described in documentation. The documentation will be posted here after June 24, 2024.
6. Registries can familiarize themselves with Geocodio now but should not start geocoding until on or after June 24, 2024. Required data items Census tract certainty (#364, # 365, # 367, #369 and #366 GIS Quality Code) will not be available until then.
7. There will be no API available with Geocodio.
8. It is not expected or recommended to re-geocode already processed cases. Users will process cases moving forward using Geocodio.

How to access Geocodio:

Currently, Geocodio does not support single-sign on, but users will be able to use their MyNAACCR credentials to log-in sometime this fall. To access Geocodio outside of SEER*DMS, please email Recinda Sherman, Program Manager of Data Use & Research with your name, email, and registry name.

Once NAACCR sets up a user with login credentials, Geocodio is accessed here: https://www.geocod.io/.

• Note: Ensure you are on the Enterprise Tab when logging in—otherwise Geocodio will try and charge. There is no fee for NAACCR Members to use Geocodio.

General security information is available here: https://www.geocod.io/security/ . If additional security information is required, please contact Recinda Sherman, Program Manager of Data & Research.

• Geocodio Tutorial — Minor update 10/3/24

• Using Geographic Information Systems Technology in the Collection, Analysis, and Presentation of Cancer Registry Data: A Handbook of Best Practices

Street address and county location at diagnosis are characteristically critically important elements for GIS mapping and analysis. Correct and complete geocoding to coordinate point locations (e.g., latitude/longitude) and standard data analysis areas (e.g., census tract and block) are a function of valid input in these standard NAACCR abstract fields.  As recommended in the Geocoding Best Practices Guide commissioned by the NAACCR board, CCRs should consider both an upstream and a downstream strategy for geocoding, and the NAACCR address validation tool is an upstream strategy, to be made available by CCRs to medical facilities submitting abstracts.

Originally programmed by Bob Borchers of the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System, this tool is a .NET application that works with USPS ZIP+4 data which can be purchased as a monthly subscription from the USPS Address Information System (AIS) division in Memphis TN, (800) 238-3150. This tool is currently used by the North Carolina CCR, and both the .NET application and the Microsoft Access backend in which the USPS data are packaged are available by request from [email protected].

Unlike address validation websites such as www.usps.com, this tool enables drill-down process of elimination to determine current validity of combinations of residential addresses, individual address zip codes, city/locality names, and counties. These records can be used as visual job aids for abstractors as well as validation templates for automated edits in the field or at the central cancer registry.

NAACCR supports the cancer reporting zone boundary definitions.

• NCI/NAACCR Cancer Reporting Zones

This section contains the materials an analyst needs to calculate small area rates or rates by area-based social measures, such as NAACCR Poverty Code, These resources will aid registries in creating local SEER*Stat databases at census tract -level of geography (or at census tract-level aggregations, such as the NAACCR/NCI Cancer Reporting Zones.

Training Webinars

A January 2023 NAACCR Talk training webinar was presented teach users how to create a local SEER*Stat database using census tract 2010 geography as well as how to calculate cancer incidence rates by census tract and by census tract-level area-based social measures (ABSM), such NAACCR Poverty Code. The resources here are an update to the April 2022 NAACCR Talk.

• NAACCR Talk Slides
• Q&A document from the presentation
• Recording requires a myNAACCR login

A Coordinated Session was presented at the NAACCR 2021 Summer Forum: Denominators for Small Area Analysis, Tackling the Intractable Problem of Tract-level Analysis.
These talks discuss the newly developed NCI/Woods & Poole census tract population estimates now available for all states. Slides are available below.

• Tackling the Intractable Problem of Tract-level Analysis: Methodology for Novel Census Tract Populations 
• Calculating Cancer Incidence Using the New NCI Census Tract Populations
• Congressional District Populations for Estimation of Cancer Rates

SAS Code to Create Local SEER *Stat File

Below are three sections of SAS code that will assist registries in creating their SEER*Stat database as well as the Base NAACCR Dictionary. Please be sure to review the April 2022 Training Webinar as well as read all instructions in each SAS Program before running it.

• SAS Code

• Base NAACCR Dictionary

Denominator Data

Get Census Tract-Level Population Data, including Tract-level ABSM

For any questions or issues with these resources, please contact Dr. Recinda Sherman, Program Manager of Data Use & Research.

NAACCR supports tract-level estimated congressional district boundary definitions.

• Tract-Estimated Congressional District Populations