DDAS (Data Delen over Armoede en Schulden)

Challenge

Municipalities face three overlapping themes: debt assistance, early warning signals, and poverty. Each municipality records its own figures, in its own systems, using its own definitions. For national policy, evaluation, and research, this is a problem: figures are not comparable, trends are invisible, and municipalities are repeatedly asked to provide data manually for CBS publications and national reports. Divosa, NVVK, VNG, and CBS therefore decided to work towards structured, automated delivery: once per period, in a standardised manner, with definitions all parties agree on.

What we built

Within the programme Data Delen over Armoede en Schulden (DDAS), I developed the information model and exchange standard. The standard defines exactly what is exchanged: concepts such as “client”, “application”, “early warning signal”, “trajectory”, “debt arrangement”, and “repayment capacity”, each with a uniform definition, format, and validation rules. Technically, a JSON schema underpins the deliveries, embedded in an information model that makes the underlying meaning explicit. The specification has been published on the VNG-Realisatie documentation site and is actively maintained in a version-controlled repository.

Key design decisions

• Concepts before messages. The information model first defines what a “client in debt assistance” is, before wrapping a JSON schema around it. This shifts discussion from formats to substance, keeping figures comparable across municipalities.
• Three domains in one standard. Debt assistance, early warning, and poverty are treated as one coherent field rather than three separate standards. This reflects how policy works in practice and prevents duplicate definitions.
• Automated delivery as the baseline. The standard is designed so that municipal software vendors can embed it in their existing applications. No parallel data collection process, but an interface that connects to what is already in place.

Results and adoption

The first version of the DDAS standard is operational and is being used by a growing number of municipalities for structured data delivery to CBS. The programme is now positioned as a national facility; the standard itself as a candidate for the formal standardisation process. Work on extension and refinement continues in 2025 and 2026, including early warning signal coverage and integration with the broader social domain infrastructure.