The facts behind
the opportunity.
Learn what each measure means, what the sources contain, and which results are available. Every guide has its own page.
5 INDEX COMPONENTS · 6 PILLARS · 15 SOURCE GUIDES
Choose the evidence that fits your question.
Imagine you have seen a promising number and want to know what it means for your place. Start with the decision, then find the guide. A source can explain an economy, a community, a route, or a visitor market without answering every business question.
The five component guides explain the parts of the Sister City model. The six pillar guides explore wider conditions that support commercial diplomacy. The 15 source guides explain what the reviewed data contain, how you could use them, and which comparisons are ready. Each includes a practical example, questions to ask, and links to the next step.
For an available comparison, open Country Readiness. For a business project, begin with the four business questions. For the foundation behind these tools, read National Data System.
Try this: Choose one guide, note the source period and geography, and save the question it helps you answer.
My Diplomacy Notebook
Keep your goal, research, sources, and next step together. Open this notebook from any page and continue where you left off.
Add sources, contacts, and a date
Loading your notebook…
Copy, download, and print include your goal, all saved notes, and saved research with its source details. For a PDF, choose “Save as PDF” in the print window.
Saved on this browser and device. Notes stay separate from contact forms. Clearing this site’s browser data removes saved notes. How notes are saved.
Sponsored by Consumer Magazine
Index components describe parts of the Sister City research model. Pillars describe the wider Commercial Diplomacy framework. Source guides explain the reviewed uploads and their publication limits.
See the published Country Readiness V1 rankings
Why Commercial Diplomacy Takes Time—and Why We Track the Relationships.
Read Shannon Sprenger’s remarks on commercial diplomacy, local industry strengths, and results that may emerge years later. Explore what to preserve after an introduction and how that history supports better research.
Read the full article and quotations →Global Ties U.S.: from citizen connections to commercial opportunity.
Explore how professional exchange supports local expertise, continuing relationships, and the administration’s commercial-diplomacy emphasis. Read the participant findings, the Social Ties Index, and the study’s methods.
Explore the model and study findings →26 guides match your search.
Index components
Global Consumer Opportunity Index
G · Where could a country-to-community business conversation begin?
Read the guide Index componentsInternational Community Bridge Index
B · Understand the people who can connect two places.
Read the guide Index componentsCity Population Index
P · Put a city’s population in its country context.
Read the guide Index componentsCountry Conversion Percentile
C · Understand the meaning behind the source percentile.
Read the guide Index componentsUpstream Match Strength
S · Check which places the source actually matched.
Read the guideFramework pillars
Trade Readiness
Can businesses reach customers and suppliers across borders?
Read the guide Framework pillarsInvestment Attraction
Can interest become a useful investment conversation?
Read the guide Framework pillarsGlobal Relationship Capacity
Who opens the door, and who keeps the relationship moving?
Read the guide Framework pillarsTourism & Visitor Markets
Can international interest become a visit and a lasting connection?
Read the guide Framework pillarsBusiness Access
Can a business find people who can help it take the next step?
Read the guide Framework pillarsGlobal Storytelling
Does the world understand what a place has to offer?
Read the guideSource guides
AI Global Readiness Infrastructure
Country preparedness and broadband infrastructure context.
Read the guide Source guidesBEA Travel Tourism Presentation Authority
A serving layer for official history and labeled modeled continuations.
Read the guide Source guidesBEA Travel Tourism Satellite Account
National tourism history, recovery, shock, and growth comparisons.
Read the guide Source guidesBTS T100 Presentation Authority
Monthly and annual air-traffic summaries across four lanes.
Read the guide Source guidesCountry Reports Bulk Data
An intended source for trade partners, exports, jobs, macroeconomics, and investment.
Read the guide Source guidesBEA Metro GDP Backbone
Historical metro economy and industry comparisons.
Read the guide Source guidesDallas Fed Global Backbone
Global economic context, Texas inflation, and international housing trends.
Read the guide Source guidesGEM Economic Indicators Backbone
Country dashboard inputs for output, trade, prices, and other conditions.
Read the guide Source guidesAirport Geography Lookup
Identify airports and put the right locations on a map.
Read the guide Source guidesGlobal Industry Crosswalk
A bridge between international and U.S. industry classifications.
Read the guide Source guidesInternational Tourist Departures
Dated comparisons of outbound travel markets.
Read the guide Source guidesGlobal Travel Connection Catalog
A guide to planned connections between four source databases.
Read the guide Source guidesWorld Development Indicators
National economic, investment, infrastructure, and development context.
Read the guide Source guidesInternational Visitor SIAT
Survey evidence about visitor purposes, destinations, spending, and stays.
Read the guide Source guidesNDS Place Geography
Explore local places and compare activity within clear boundaries.
Read the guide