Data dictionary
Everything in the observatory, explained: what each dataset, variable and measure means, where it comes from, how the observatory computes it, what to watch out for, and how to cite it. Use it to find a source, check a definition or credit the data correctly. The observatory uses public data, most of it under an open license (the Data management page gives each file's license class), and was developed by Foundation for Puerto Rico as a tool for public use and benefit.
Most of the dictionary is in Spanish: the names, the summaries, how to read each item, the glossary, the source cards and the area descriptions. It is a draft translation that a reviewer at Foundation for Puerto Rico is checking. Definitions, methods, cautions and source notes are still in English for now, and so are a few items about federal grant programs until they are reviewed.
Entries were written from the data pipeline code and checked against the published data. Numbers quoted in descriptions come from the snapshot named in the top bar and change when the observatory is rebuilt; definitions and methods do not. If you find a mistake, tell Foundation for Puerto Rico through foundationforpuertorico.org.
Browse the dictionary
Sources and licenses
Every source behind the observatory, with the license or terms it states, the credit line to use, how the observatory gets the data and how often it changes. License text is what each source states, not legal advice: check the source's own terms before you reuse its data.
Glossary
Terms, abbreviations and Spanish words used in the observatory. Each definition names its source, with the date the link was checked.
Published data files
The Data management page lists every file with its size, records, fields and values, when it was first published and last updated, the dictionary items that document it and its compliance review. It also shows how the data grew and what is not published.
How to cite
Cite the observatory for how the data were put together, and the original source for the data themselves. Each entry above has a Cite button that writes both for you. For the observatory as a whole:
Good practice
- Name the snapshot. The observatory is rebuilt in snapshots (the label is in the top bar). Citing the snapshot lets others find the same numbers.
- Name the year of the data as well as the year you looked at it. A figure for 2024 is not a figure for 2026.
- Keep the unit. Say whether a figure is a count, a share or a dollar amount, and in which year's dollars.
- Share the view. On the map, “Copy link” in the On the map panel saves the layers, year and settings in the address.
- Some data have extra terms. OpenStreetMap-derived data need attribution and share-alike (ODbL). The short-term rental counts in the State of Housing study were licensed to Foundation for Puerto Rico and are not open data. See each entry's cautions and the sources above.