The Macroscope project: easier large-scale research using CBS microdata

Lona Verkooijen, accountmanager ODISSEI bij het CBS en Ran van den Boom, Teammanager Microdata Services
© CBS
Quicker, easier and more comprehensive - researchers who make use of microdata from Statistics Netherlands will soon benefit from a major upgrade. The Macroscope is expected to be available by 2030. The Macroscope project is all about expanding the existing research infrastructure, enabling researchers to do ground-breaking work. It is a joint initiative by two leading research consortia in the Netherlands: ODISSEI and CLARIAH. Both were awarded funding for this purpose by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in November. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) is a member of ODISSEI. Ran van den Boom, Microdata Services Team Manager at CBS, is delighted with this announcement: ‘Researchers will soon be able to utilise our microdata even better, with new research methodologies, innovative tools and access to larger, more complex datasets.’
What is the annual income of people living in the Netherlands and what level of education have they completed? This is the type of question that researchers will be able to answer using the wealth of microdata available from Statistics Netherlands. This is a valuable resource for researchers, and they have been making full use of it for almost two decades. This is done securely and anonymously: no data can ever be traced back to individuals or companies. Statistics Netherlands also applies strict rules and criteria for researchers who want to access its microdata. In order to serve those researchers even better, eight years ago Statistics Netherlands joined ODISSEI (Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations). This is a consortium of 45 organisations including university social science faculties, research institutes such as the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) and the Central Planning Bureau (CPB), as well as Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Their aim is to make CBS microdata more accessible and easier to find.
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) awarded new funding to ODISSEI and CLARIAH in November. This money is intended to take the research infrastructure to an even higher level as part of the Macroscope project.

Vast datasets

Van den Boom: ‘ODISSEI was set up in order to make microdata from Statistics Netherlands and other organisations better accessible to social and economic researchers. CLARIAH has the same goal but is for those working on cultural and linguistic research and media studies. Since 2024, ODISSEI and CLARIAH have shared the same new research infrastructure under the SSHOC-NL project – the follow-up to which will be the ‘Macroscope’ project. This should enable researchers to match and analyse the vast data sets available on the Dutch population in a secure manner.

The new improved Macroscope

How do particular dynamics develop within a society? How much do citizens trust each other? The Macroscope will help researchers to answer complex questions such as these. The main advantage of the Macroscope, according to Van den Boom, is that large amounts of data can be integrated more easily, and it will be easier than ever before to identify patterns between datasets.

More accessible

Lona Verkooijen, ODISSEI account manager at Statistics Netherlands, emphasises the importance of standardisation in this regard. ‘Data is widely available nowadays, but it’s subject to many different rules, guidelines and restrictions ,’ she explains. ‘Each data source has its own working environment, technology, methods and procedures. A more standardised approach can make researchers’ work easier. That could mean they only need to submit one application form, for example, or are able to continue working on research done by someone else more easily. All in all, Macroscope will make data more accessible.’
Some of the funding awarded in November will go to Statistics Netherlands. That will help to fund the costs of the human resources needed to develop the Macroscope. ‘We can set priorities regarding our input, based on our expertise and procedures. In that sense, we will retain our autonomy within the partnership,’ explains Verkooijen.

A firm foundation

'One of the key tasks of Statistics Netherlands is to make data as accessible as possible, for the benefit of science and society. The Macroscope project represents a major step forwards in achieving this goal. It will create an even stronger foundation for our relationship with researchers and scientists, so that they can use our data even more effectively. We believe that users will greatly appreciate the additional services that Statistics Netherlands is committed to providing.’

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