Description
Assign an event date to a floor-based calendar bin relative to a supplied origin.
Epidemiological reporting depends on case-definition versions, observation windows, censoring, person/test denominators and time-bin boundaries. Missing and indeterminate results differ, while multiple tests can belong to one person. Local record arithmetic does not diagnose infection, establish transmission or select a public-health rule.
Assign an event date to a floor-based calendar bin relative to a supplied origin.
When to use this tool
Use Epidemic Curve Bin Date when checking the stated benign surveillance record, time, exposure or denominator convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter eventDate, originDate, binWidthDays. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read binIndex, binStartDate. Use the output convention below.
Parse real event/origin YYYY-MM-DD dates and require whole binWidthDays 1..3652425. Floor(event-origin days)/width for binIndex; add index*width to origin for binStartDate, requiring a resulting year 0000..9999.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| eventDate | Event Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. Real proleptic Gregorian YYYY-MM-DD; four-digit years 0000-9999 accepted. |
| originDate | Origin Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. Real proleptic Gregorian YYYY-MM-DD; four-digit years 0000-9999 accepted. |
| binWidthDays | Bin Width Days | Required. Safe integer; minimum 1; maximum 3652425. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| binIndex | Floor quotient, so events before origin receive negative bin indices. | Required. Safe integer. |
| binStartDate | UTC YYYY-MM-DD bin start; reject if it would leave years 0000..9999. | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
{
"input": {
"eventDate": "2026-01-10",
"originDate": "2026-01-01",
"binWidthDays": 7
},
"output": {
"binIndex": 1,
"binStartDate": "2026-01-08"
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- Events before origin use negative bins; boundaries are fixed UTC calendar days rather than ISO weeks, and bins do not establish an outbreak or reporting standard.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use verified source records, current authoritative definitions and appropriate complete epidemiological/statistical methods with qualified public-health interpretation for actual decisions.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Case Definition Revision Onset Boundary
Compare an onset date with a supplied case-definition revision boundary.
- Outbreak Line List Onset Precision
Record the declared precision of an outbreak line-list onset.