Using Ecodata Overview
Ecodata is an economic data platform for research, policy analysis, and quantitative modeling. The application focuses on three practical jobs: finding the right data source, selecting the right indicators, and exporting datasets with metadata so users can audit and reproduce their research workflow.
This documentation replaces the previous source-by-source guide with articles organized around in-app workflows. New users should start with Login → Filter/Select → Preview → Export, then read the detailed indicator guides for each data group.
Highlights
- Clean, publication-ready data: cleaned and standardized into panel/time-series format, ready for research and international publication (ready to publication).
- Rich and up to date: a multi-domain, multi-source data repository, updated regularly.
- Full international macro indicators: from official sources — World Bank, IMF, ADB, UN, FRED, OECD, ILO, and more.
- Official Vietnam data: General Statistics Office (statistical yearbooks, socio-economic reports), General Department of Customs (import-export reports and data by commodity), governance surveys (PAPI, PCI, PAR, SIPAS, ICT), and microdata sets VHLSS, VARHS, VES.
EcoData Retrieval Toolkit
EcoData is not limited to browser downloads. Users can create a personal API key in the Dashboard and retrieve the same real datasets through the Excel / Python / Stata / R toolkit. All clients call the same Public SDMX API at /api/v1/sdmx, so one research series can be reproduced across several research environments.
| Tool | Main use | Accurate release status |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | Sideload the self-hosted manifest https://ecodata.io.vn/excel/manifest.xml, then use the task pane or =ECODATA.SERIES(...) | Self-host route and production data layer verified; AppSource and manual Excel Win/Web runtime checks remain pending. |
| Python | EcoData().series(...) returns a tidy pandas.DataFrame | Core package and production live smoke verified; PyPI publication is pending. |
| Stata | net install ecodata, from("https://ecodata.io.vn/clients/stata") replace, then run ecodata use ... | Self-host route and production live smoke verified; SSC submission is pending. |
| R | eco_series(...) returns a tidy tibble | Core package and production live smoke verified; CRAN publication is pending. |
Current client dataflows include MACRO_INTL, GSO_VN, CUSTOMS_VN, and STOCK_VN. For real research, store the API key in an environment variable or ~/.ecodata, keep metadata and short codes with exported data, and revoke keys when a project ends.
Main Feature Groups
| Group | App module | What users do |
|---|---|---|
| Global Data | Dashboard, Export Panel | Find international indicators from World Bank, IMF, OECD, Eurostat, ILO, FAO, WTO, ADB, and related sources. |
| Vietnam GSO | GSO Explorer | Explore KTXH, NGTK-CN, NGTK-TINH, and VHLSS aggregate indicators by year, province, and indicator group. |
| Customs | Customs Explorer | Filter import-export reports by commodity, partner country, province, transport mode, and reporting period. |
| Macro Survey | Survey Explorer | Find PCI, PAPI, ICT, PAR, and SIPAS indicators by province and year. |
| VHLSS Micro | Variable Hub | Select waves, datasets, and micro variables, preview records, and create panel or pooled datasets. |
| Stock Hub | Stocks | View prices, symbol profiles, financial statements, notes, and corporate events. |
| AI Chat | Chat | Ask AI to suggest indicators, sources, model variables, and data queries. |
| Econometrics | Analysis | Run preliminary OLS, WLS, GLS, panel, VAR, ARIMA, Logit, and Probit models before export. |
Standard Research Workflow
Indicator Selection Principles
- Choose the source by unit of analysis first: country, province, firm, commodity, household, or individual.
- Check coverage by year, frequency, geography, and completeness before adding an indicator to export.
- Read metadata to confirm definition, unit, calculation method, and provenance.
- Preview sample data before downloading full data, especially for panel datasets or multi-source exports.
- Keep citation, short code, and metadata together with the exported data to reproduce results.
Documentation Implementation Status
The documentation is bilingual. Homepage UI strings are managed through src/i18n/vi.json and src/i18n/en.json; full article translations use Docusaurus file-based i18n, so selecting English shows the English content and selecting Vietnamese shows the Vietnamese content.