Data Explorer Knowledge Base
Data Explorer Knowledge Base
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Getting Started Guide

This short guide covers the basics of using the FEWS NET Data Explorer (FDE). Scroll through the guide for a full review of the system, or use the menu on the right to skip to a specific topic.

About the FEWS NET Data Explorer

The FEWS NET Data Platform acts as the central storage location and access portal for data used by FEWS NET for food security and early warning analysis. The Platform is made up of two primary sub-components:

  • The Data Explorer (focused on data access)

  • The Data Warehouse (focused on data storage)

This guide focuses on use of the FEWS NET Data Explorer (FDE).

The primary purpose of the FDE is to provide you with easy access to data in the Data Platform. To accomplish this, data is categorized by industry and can be searched and filtered. You can explore and validate potentially relevant data using a combination of visualization tools such as tables, graphs, and maps before exporting it for use.

Note that the FDE does not provide access to all of the data FEWS NET holds. Some data has restricted permissions and some data can only be accessed by using the FEWS NET Data Platform API.

The FEWS NET Data Platform is designed to work with data from humanitarian sector components including: 

  • Population and demographic

  • Relief needs estimates and actual deliveries

  • Market prices

  • Agricultural production

  • Nutrition

  • Cross border trade

  • Livelihoods

The Data Explorer has three main types of functionality:

  • Data Sources: Search for and view Data Collections and their associated assets.

  • Explore Data: Browse and download Data Points.

  • Visualizations: View and create interactive Visualizations using data stored in the FDW.

About Topics

Within the FEWS NET Data Explorer (FDE), humanitarian sector components are represented as Topics containing one or more subtopics. A subtopic is a grouping of data that contains a collection of data series. Topics and subtopics are organized to unify and consolidate data based on metadata consistencies and sector relationships. For example, data on relief needs estimates and actual deliveries are included within the Responses topic.

Some topics have limited visibility and may not be included in your view.

To request access to non-public data, submit a Help Desk form with information about the purpose of your analysis, why you need access specifically to this data, and your organizational affiliation. Your request will be reviewed internally to determine if additional permissions can be granted. Note that much of the data in the FEWS NET Data Warehouse is provided by third parties. Access to this data is subject to the licenses and conditions established by the original source organization.

Topic

Description of data

Food Security Classification

Includes various data related to food security such as:

  • Acute Food Insecurity Classifications: Scale and scenario indicators on food insecure populations globally or for specific geographic locations

  • Acutely Food Insecure Population Estimates: Phase and scenario indicators of food insecure populations

  • Humanitarian Food Assistance: Data used as an indicator to identify famine and determine the severity of food security and nutrition crises

This data is compatible with the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) system with limited exceptions. In rare cases, FEWS NET classification is IPC-aligned but not IPC-compatible. IPC-aligned analysis is evidence-based but some types of evidence required for IPC-compatibility were not available.

Spatial

Geographic admin boundary information along with shapefiles, population estimates, and demography estimates, including male/female and age/gender breakdowns

Markets and Trade

Includes a variety of data related to markets and trade such as:

  • Product prices and product market information (e.g., product source and product cost data at market and country level)

  • Interbank, government, secondary rate, and auction exchange rates

  • Consumer price indices and other price indices not calculated by FEWS NET

  • Price Ratios and Indexes calculated from FEWS NET system data

  • Trade import and export data between source and destination countries at border points for various product types

Crop Production

Crop cultivation and harvest attributes (e.g., area harvested, planted, quantity produced, yield)

Agroclimatology

Data related to normal and extreme weather such as heat and rainfall

Nutrition

Health and nutrition indicator information (e.g., mortality rate, disease prevalence, death rate)

Emergency Responses

Cost and quantity of interventions in a given geographic area by various operators, including aid agencies

Population and Demography

Includes a variety of data related to markets and trade such as:

  • Population-related information (e.g., census data: population calculations, estimates, and percentages)

  • Population counts and breakdowns by age and gender from officially published population estimates

  • Migration flows

  • Indicators such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)


Data Sources

The Data Sources page is the easiest location to search for and view the Data Collections and assets associated with a Data Source. Note that this screen only contains a broad overview of Data Points associated with a Data Source. To browse and download Data Points, click on Explore Data.

Data Sources can be searched by name or filtered by:

  • Topic: Topics are broad grouping of data organized to unify and consolidate data based on metadata consistencies and sector relationships.

  • Organization: The organization that provides and manages the data.

  • Country: The country about which the data was collected.

  • File format: The format of any available assets.

Learn more about searching within the Data Explorer.

Note that a Data Source is not equivalent to an organization. Organizations may have multiple Data Sources. For example, an organization might have nutrition surveys from multiple years where each year’s survey is a separate Data Source. Or, an organization might have different Data Sources for different types of data (e.g. price and exchange rates).

On the Data Sources main page you can view summary information about each Data Source including:

  1. Data Source name

  2. The name of the associated organization

  3. The date range of the data

  4. The number of Data Collections associated with that Data Source

  5. The type of data available

  6. A description of the data

  7. The file types available as associated assets (if applicable)

The data source entry is split into 2 columns with items 1 through 4 in the first column and 5, 6, and 7 in the second column.

Once you choose a Data Source, you can view additional information including:

  1. Tags

  2. Country

  3. Who maintains the data

  4. The total number of Data Points and/or files associated with that Data Source

  5. Details about each Data Collection

    1. The number of Data Points and/or files in the Data Collection

    2. The date range of the data associated with that Data Collection

    3. When the Data Collection was last modified

    4. When the Data Collection was first added to the Data Platform

The data sources screen is split into 2 columns. Items 1, 2, and 3 are in the first column. Item 4 serves as a heading for the second column, which lists the details of each collection for the data source.

You can also perform the following actions on a Data Source screen:

  • Download asset files individually or in bulk, if available

  • Jump to the Explore Data screen to explore data and download Data Points

Explore Data

To explore data within the FDE, you need to do one of the following:

  • In the Explore Data tab, choose a topic.

  • In the Data Sources tab, select the Explore Data button from any Data Source that contains Data Points. Sources labeled as Asset Only do not contain Data Points.

Some topics have limited visibility and may not be included in your view.

To request access to non-public data, submit a Help Desk form with information about the purpose of your analysis, why you need access specifically to this data, and your organizational affiliation. Your request will be reviewed internally to determine if additional permissions can be granted. Note that much of the data in the FEWS NET Data Warehouse is provided by third parties. Access to this data is subject to the licenses and conditions established by the original source organization.

Explore data pages are structured as illustrated below:

  1. Select a topic: The topic selection bar is always available. Learn more about topics in FDE.

  2. Search and filter: Learn more about searching and filtering in the FDE.

  3. Select data: Learn more about creating and saving datasets.

  4. Customize and preview data: Learn more about customizing and previewing data.

  5. Export data: The export toolbar allows for file download and copying of the API link. It remains perpetually at the bottom of the screen so you can easily download selections and see how your choices impact the API URL. Learn more about exporting data.

Explore Price data screen with a data series selected and a crosstab table to preview the data.

Video: Explore Data use case

Watch the below video for an example of accessing market prices for red sorghum in Somalia over time (02:18, includes closed captions).

Visualizations

The Visualizations section allows you to view Visualizations and Dashboards, access Data Discovery Tools, and build and save Visualizations.

This functionality is currently in beta and is not available for all users.

The Visualizations functionality is divided into the following tabs:

Search all: Search and view Visualizations, Data Discovery Tools, and Visualization Dashboards.

Favorites: View Visualizations that you have favorited.

Owned by me: View Visualizations that you have built and saved.

Builder: Search and select a Visualization template to build a Visualization. Learn more about building Visualizations.

Search and view Visualizations

You can perform the following actions on the Search all tab:

  1. Search Visualizations by keywords. For example, “Ethiopia conflict.”

  2. Filter by Visualization type:

    1. Visualizations: Visualizations from other users that are shared with you, in addition to Visualizations that you have built and saved.

    2. Data Discovery Tool: Visualizations that provide insights into the data held in the FEWS NET Data Warehouse. Learn more about Data Discovery Tools.

    3. Visualization Dashboard: Dashboards of multiple Visualizations. For example, the Afghanistan Markets and Trade Dashboard includes Visualizations showing prices and exchange rates.

  3. View search results in either a grid or list layout.

  4. Favorite a Visualization by clicking the star. Click the star again to unfavorite.

  5. Click on a title to open the Visualization.

The grid layout includes a preview image and brief description of the Visualization.

Learn more about using Visualizations in the Data Explorer.

Additional resources