DATA
How to access, use, and understand population-scale social network data
Population-scale social network data
Part of the research on large-scale networks that takes place in the PLANET-NL team centers around the analysis of population-scale social networks, in particular that of the Dutch population. This data, created by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) under the name “Person Network of the Netherlands”, is available for analysis in several hundreds of gigabytes of raw year-by-year layer-specific SPSS/CSV files through their Microdata Remote Access (RA) environment.
Initially piloted through efforts in the POPNET project, now under the umbrella of the PLANET-NL initiative, our team has created a fast reusable research infrastructure on top of the raw CBS person network data, which can be used within CBS’s Microdata RA environment. Our research infrastructure therewith facilitates easy analysis of data of the population-scale social network of the Netherlands, making use of the in-house developed open-source Python mlnlib package and the specially prepared compressed dataset in MLN format made available through the ODISSEI Data Portal, and easily integratable into a CBS Microdata project through the CBS Data Storage in collaboration with ODISSEI.
How to use PLANET-NL infrastructure:
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Set up a research project in the CBS Microdata infrastructure (requires among other things affiliation with a CBS-authorized Dutch research institute)
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Request access to all raw datasets within the project underlying the generation of the deposited files. See the full list in the metadata description of the ODISSEI Portal.
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Request the Data Storage access to the files in the CBS Microdata Portal.
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Request the mlnlib package in your RA Python environment through the CBS Microdata Portal. An example full environment file which works with the dataset can be found here.
Make use of PLANET-NL infrastructure to analyze the Dutch population-scale social network by following the steps below:
Need help or want to collaborate?
PLANET-NL provides help and collaboration opportunities for researchers working with abovemented population-scale social network data of the Netherlands. Are you interested, or want to know more?
Reach out to us via info@planetnl.org.