A digital civilization rising on silicon-based technology is predicted to replace carbon-based spaces with virtual ones, leading to the decline of rural regionalism. Reconciling the benefits of globalization through data-driven methods while preserving the locality of rural areas is crucial. The extensive collection of traditional villages in the Yunnan Province possesses abundant natural heritages and diverse regional cultural resources. However, the existing assessment and identification index system for these traditional villages primarily relies on qualitative measures, which lack a consistent and quantifiable data system that can provide scientific, data-driven analysis. This study focuses on the mainstream types of traditional villages in the Yunnan Province as its research subject. Based on empirical research methods and architectural typology principles, two data acquisition and vectorization procedures are implemented, combining tilt photography and digital mapping technology. This approach addresses the inconsistency problem of the current system’s complex information and multiple data. This study aims to establish an efficient, objective, and consistent method of generating a database that comprehensively represents the environmental and architectural characteristics of the villages. Once established, this database could serve as a consistent and objective basis for subsequent quantitative analyses across different types of villages. Hence, setting up a consistent, quantifiable database is the first step to future data-driven policymaking, which is essential for sustainable preservation. In conclusion, the repeatability and reproducibility of these research findings are intrinsically tied to the meticulous methodology employed in the process of data acquisition and vectorization. The valid result was demonstrated after the verifying of the correlation analysis. Finally, a challenge to the universality came from adding different worldwide villages to the database and revealing underlying patterns.

Socio-ecological systems in basin regions characterized by diverse cultural traditions and hierarchical village spatial structure are undergoing profound transformation driven by multifunctional demands and spatial restructuring. This study develops an analytical framework encompassing economic production, socio-cultural functions, and ecological potential to examine the spatial differentiation and socio-ecological coupling mechanisms within the Yilong Lake Basin, Yunnan Province. Through the entropy weighting method and a coupling coordination model, the framework evaluates the “lake–mountain–village” gradient of spatial differentiation. The results indicate that: (1) the overall coordination level of multifunctional systems in the region remains relatively low, exhibiting a decreasing trend from lakeshore to the mountain periphery; (2) village-level dependencies of spatial functions can be summarized into three coupling categories—associated with institutional embedding, self-organization, and value mismatch—revealing distinct socio-ecological interaction patterns; and (3) three coupling categories correspond to three differentiated governance pathways, namely coupling optimization, functional transition, and conflict mitigation. The study advances theoretical and methodological insights into the spatial differentiation and evolution of complex village systems, highlighting the nonlinear coexistence of interdependence and constraint among economic, social, and ecological functions. It further provides practical guidance for coordinated governance and sustainable spatial planning in similar rural and basin environments worldwide.