While contacting libraries that use Blockchain to look for a demo, I came across this one. It is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. There are branches in other countries, and the English version of the acronym is ECLAC, which is the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. In spite of the events in Chile at this writing, the site is still working.
Their collection of databases is remarkable because the majority of them are open source. You can browse without a login.
The only caveat is to read slowly and carefully. I was impressed by the International Disaster Database, but I had trouble finding it again. First I looked under “D.” Then, I looked under “I.” Neither letter worked. I went backwards, looking at the database and where it might be. It’s under “E.” The official name is EM-DAT (Emergency Events Database). “The International Disaster Database” is a subheading. It is a product of CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters) in Belgium.
The databases are in English, Spanish or multilingual. Many of them are where you might expect to find them. As you scroll down, be sure to stop at “O” for open access text books, theses and dissertations. The last stop is “W,” where there is information on world health and world trade.
Much of CEPAL Chile is for everyone, and everyone can see it right now.
