Discover the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) online data tool developed by Datawheel

The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) is an online data visualisation and distribution platform focused on the geography and dynamics of economic activities. The OEC integrates and distributes data from a variety of sources to empower analysts in the private sector, public sector, and academia.

The OEC is currently designed and developed by Datawheel, but it began as a research project at MIT’s Collective Learning group (former Macro Connections Group). It was the Master Thesis of Alex Simoes (2012), under the direction of Professor Cesar A. Hidalgo. In 2012 the OEC was spun out of MIT as an open-source project. Through the years the tool was refined, and its technical and analytical capacities expanded.

The latest version launched in 2020 includes several new features, such as a tuneable forecast tool, the tariff explorer, and the ability to dynamically calculate economic complexity rankings. This version provides subnational level data for dozens of countries, sourced directly from their public customs records, making it much more recent, relevant, and higher resolution.

With these new features and functionalities, the OEC can be used with other data tools, to obtain a detailed understanding of how COVID-19 is affecting trade globally.

To access the OEC tool, visit oec.world/en/trend-explore