Draco is an open-source econometric solution, providing functionality available in popular statistics packages without high purchasing and licensing costs. It presents a familiar, yet powerful, user interface to improve efficiency.

The user interface of Draco is similar to spreadsheet applications, presenting all data to the user for all stored variables. All functionality is accessed via the modern interface. Data can quickly be visualized thanks to the Approximatrix Openchart2 plotting library.

Approximatrix provides full commercial support for Draco. Support customers are able to provide direct input on the direction of Draco development. Furthermore, those who purchase commercial support can access extended content at the Draco Support Site. Learn more about full support for Draco and consider purchasing support to ensure the continued development of Draco.

Here are some key features of "Draco":

Data Analysis:

· Draco supports the following features...

· Full support of time series and cross-sectional panel data
· Ordinary, Two-stage, Logit, and Nonlinear Least Squares regressions
· Simple access to least-squares options, including accounting for autocorrelation using the Cochran-Orcutt method
· Standard statistics of variables including mean,variances, etc.
· One-Factor Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
· Creation of new variables based on complex equations using the MESP mathematics engine

Data Presentation:

· Data is viewed in Draco in spreadsheet form by default, making all data presentable to the user. Draco also provides powerful graphing abilities using the Openchart2 library.

Interoperability:

Draco saves all documents in an SQLite database file that can be opened and modified by any SQLite-capable software. Furthermore, Draco can save and load the OpenDocument spreadsheet format, compatible with the OpenOffice.org 2.0 productivity suite. Draco also provides the following:

· Importing of text data, including time series, via a user-friendly interface
· Automatic date parsing from text files during import for the quick creation of time-series data
· Export to simple comma-delimited format, compatible with most any program
· Simple interoperability with the system's clipboard, including Paste with Interpolation, allowing for incoming data to be interpolated based on a selected variable.

Standard Engine:

· All mathematics are performed using the Linear Algebra Package (LAPACK), ensuring calculations are fast an accurate. Draco makes use of the jLAPACK implementation, ensuring maximum program portability and consistency across platforms.

Portability:

· Draco runs on any system featuring an up-to-date Java implementation (Java 1.5 or higher). Because Draco is pure Java, the software will run as-is on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, and a host of other platforms.

Documentation:

· The program includes extensive help facilities through its online help system.

Open Source:

· Best of all, Draco is free software! Licensed under the GNU General Public License, all source code to the program is available to the user. The code can be examined by interested parties, modified, and redistributed without any payment to Approximatrix. The open source nature of Draco allows users to understand and verify the algorithms used in computations, a benefit that proprietary programs cannot offer.

Requirements:

· Java 2 Standard Edition Runtime Environment

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· The latest version of Draco Econometrics is now available from Approximatrix for all Java platforms. This version implements an integrated editor to allow user authoring of Draco plugins. Users may also take advantage of a plugin creation wizard, which generates the necessary skeleton for both analysis and regression plugins. The nonlinear least squares regression has been modified to use the Apache Commons Math implementation of the MINPACK algorithm for quickly and accurately fitting arbitrary functions. An extended statistics analysis plugin has been added to generate additional descriptive statistics.

· The skinning of Draco is now user-definable via the preferences dialog using the Java Look & Feel system. The addition of this option allows the user to choose the feel of Draco's interface rather than be forced to use the default. The latest version of the HelpGUI help browser has been integrated to eliminate problems launching web browsers on GNU/Linux and similar systems.

· Approximatrix has added additional tests to the program to ensure the accuracy of all calculations. Multiple bugs have been eliminated over the course of developing release 1.3, making it the best version of Draco yet.