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Methodology

How to read Artometrics reports

Artometrics reports are built for two readers at once: a curious beginner who needs a clear path through the chart, and a domain expert who wants to know where the evidence came from. The chart headline is the first claim. The references, limitations, and editor notes are the audit trail.

The site uses public datasets, official APIs, agency documentation, and published literature where available. Some reports are direct data analysis. Others are framework reports that use editorial indices to make a comparison possible. When a score is interpretive, the report should say so plainly.

Reader checklist

  • 1. Read the chart caption as a claim.
  • 2. Check whether the metric is observed, derived, or editorial.
  • 3. Use the source link to inspect the underlying data.
  • 4. Read limitations before turning a pattern into a conclusion.

Observed data

Figures copied from a source table, API, or official dataset after cleaning. These are cited directly and should be reproducible from the listed source.

Derived metrics

Ratios, ranks, medians, concentrations, and indexes calculated from observed data. The report should explain the calculation in plain language.

Editorial indices

Framework scores used to compare identity, strength, weakness, or cultural position when no single public statistic exists. These are not official measures and must be labeled as interpretation.

Context literature

Peer-reviewed papers, agency documentation, official data dictionaries, and credible reference publications that help interpret what the data can and cannot prove.

Examples

Four ways evidence appears in reports

Observed dataHospital readmissions and CMS HRRPOfficial agency data, program definitions, and joined facility metadata.Derived metricsAnime industry structurePublic catalog data transformed into format, popularity, and genre comparisons.Editorial indexNational export identity atlasA clearly labeled framework for comparing macroeconomic identity signals.Context literaturePantheon and collective memoryCulture analysis anchored by a peer-reviewed dataset publication.

Source library

Public data, literature, and reference tools

These are recurring sources and literature anchors used to frame Artometrics reports. Individual reports still carry their own references; this page is the shared map.

Report pipeline and community datasets

Sources used for broad, fast-moving public-data reports.

TidyTuesday repositoryWeekly social data project from the Data Science Learning Community; the bulk source for many public-data reports.tidytuesdayR documentationR package documentation for loading TidyTuesday releases with source metadata.

Culture, media, and canon data

Reference sources for fame, film, music, literature, and cultural production.

Pantheon 1.0 - Scientific DataPeer-reviewed dataset of globally famous biographies by Yu, Ronen, Hu, Lu, and Hidalgo.IMDb non-commercial datasetsOfficial IMDb bulk files for non-commercial use; IMDb credit language is required where used.Project GutenbergVolunteer-built library of more than 75,000 free ebooks, focused on older works with expired U.S. copyright.Project Gutenberg license policyRights and reuse guidance for Gutenberg texts and metadata.MusicBrainzOpen music encyclopedia maintained by the MetaBrainz Foundation.MusicBrainz APIREST API documentation for artists, recordings, releases, works, labels, and related music metadata.

Economy, geography, and city identity

Official data portals for trade, regional economics, cities, and policy systems.

OEC APIObservatory of Economic Complexity API for international and subnational trade data.UN ComtradeUN Statistics Division trade database with goods and services imports/exports by country, partner, and product.BEA APIU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis API for national, regional, and international economic statistics.DataSF developer resourcesSan Francisco open data portal and Socrata API guidance for city-level datasets.Socrata API endpointsDocumentation for the SODA endpoints used by many city and public-sector open-data portals.

Sports and institutional performance

Reference databases used for team identity, dynasty, and league comparison reports.

Sports ReferenceBaseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, college, and historical sports reference databases.StatheadSports Reference research layer for leaderboards, splits, streaks, spans, seasons, and games.

Health, policy, and institutions

Agency sources used when reports depend on official program definitions.

CMS Hospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramCMS program page for HRRP definitions, payment context, and official reporting pathways.CMS Provider Data Catalog - HRRPOfficial Provider Data Catalog table used for hospital readmission performance analysis.