Introducing the open-source microsimulation programming technology OpenM++ and the stcopenmpp repository

Statistics Canada, Canada’s statistical agency, has a long history of using the software Modgen—and, more recently, its open source successor OpenM++—to develop and maintain dynamic microsimulation models in areas such as demography, health, and retirement income. Beyond Canada, OpenM++ is used in several European countries to model population aging and interactions with the social welfare system, demography and pensions. Building on the strong foundation of the OpenM++ open-source microsimulation technology, stcopenmpp is a dedicated fork of OpenM++ that will be released and maintained by Statistics Canada to support sustainable microsimulation model development, as well as experimentation and community contribution.

OpenM++ is a powerful and versatile tool that provides modern, portable, scalable, and cross platform capabilities for dynamic microsimulation. It allows users to model complex life-course events, including aging, employment trajectories, and changes in health status. The stcopenmpp repository offers a space for those interested in experimenting with this software, while also creating an avenue for users to contribute feedback and suggestions to its maintainers.

This presentation will offer a high level overview of the evolution of microsimulation programming tools at Statistics Canada, tracing the progression from Modgen to the development of stcopenmpp. It will also highlight the importance of sustaining and expanding open source tools and infrastructures to support ongoing microsimulation research and development. Finally, we will provide an expanded introduction to the stcopenmpp repository and the open source tools available within it.