Stream - Spatial dimension

The purpose of the STREAM project is to develop the infrastructure for the study of the social and economic history of the early modern period. The project aims at raising the level of research by making relevant data, expertise and technical means available to the research community. The project involves the identification of important early modern data collections and their critical appraisal, digitalization, harmonization and inclusion in information systems to which powerful tools for statistical and other applications are attached. By bringing together micro data from a large area (Duchy of Brabant and County of Flanders), and by collating these in a way that can be exploited for scientific research, STREAM provides a link between local and international research.

The project provides a solution to the historians' need for a durable and comprehensive data infrastructure for comparative quantitative research. STREAM is developed in a long-term perspective. It provides the necessary services to researchers over many years. This aim is served by the selection of sources with a rich information content and by the development of multiple analytical possibilities. Researchers are also able to couple their own data to STREAM's database in order to carry out comparisons. The infrastructure consequently provides a firm basis for the choice of new case studies in future research.

1. Purpose and objectives
2. Scope
3. Spatial dimension
4. Implementation
5. Data collections