In science, the concept of a macroscope is the antithesis of the microscope, namely a method, technique or system by which a very large object can be observed, for example the Earth and its contents, or conceptually, the Universe. Obviously, a single system or instrument does not presently exist that could fulfil this function, however its concept may be approached by some current or future combination of existing observational systems. The term "macroscope" has also been applied to a method or compendium which can view some more specific aspect of global scientific phenomena in its entirety, such as all plant life, or all life on earth. The term has also been used in the humanities, as a generic label for tools which permit an overview of various other forms of "big data".
History of the concept
The term "macroscope" was introduced by the ecologist Howard T. Odum in 1971, who used it to represent a kind of "detail eliminator" which thus permits a better overview of ecological systems for improved management. Odum's concept was then expanded upon by the French scientific thinker Joël de Rosnay, who wrote a book explaining his usage of the concept in 1975; in de Rosnay's view, the macroscope could be turned not only on the natural world but also on human-related systems such as the growth of cities, economics, and the behaviour of humans in society. More recent workers have tended to use the term synonymously with a whole-of-Earth observational system, or portion thereof, underpinned particularly by satellite imagery derived from remote sensing, and/or by in situ observations obtained via sensor networks. As an extension of its science context, the term "macroscope" has also been applied in the humanities, as a generic term for any tool permitting an overview of, and insight into "big data" collections in that or related areas. For completeness, it should be mentioned that the concept of a "reverse microscope" is not entirely new: around 80 years earlier, the author Lewis Caroll in the second volume of his novel Sylvie and Bruno, published in 1893, described a fictional professor who includes in his lecture an instrument that will shrink an elephant to the size of a mouse, that he termed the "megaloscope". The Dutch author Kees Boeke also wrote a 1957 book, Cosmic View: The Universe in 40 Jumps, the first portion of which presents images of aspects of the Earth at ever decreasing scales and parallels the subsequent principle of the hypothetical "macroscope" at a series of zoom levels.
Interpretation and practical implementations
The more practical aspect of exactly what constitutes a macroscope has varied through time and according to the interests, requirements, and field of activity of the workers concerned. Odum's initial concept was for the study of ecosystems, by integrating the results of existing methods of surveying, identifying, and classifying their contents, then eliminating fine scale detail to obtain a "big picture" view suitable for analysis and, as needed, simulation. De Rosnay viewed his "macroscope" as a systems-based viewpoint for the study of the nature of human society, and understanding of the rationale for human actions. He wrote: For some recent workers engaged in scientific surveys of aspects of Earth systems, the macroscope is the envisaged set of the observational tools that collectively will deliver the desired synoptic suite of observations over the relevant field of study, while for others, the macroscope is already here, as a sort of "virtual instrument", with data sources such as Landsat satellite imagery providing the requisite high resolution Earth view, and/or wireless sensor networks providing a suite of local, in situ observations. In the view of IBM researchers, the macroscope is the technical solution—basically within the realm of data management—that will permit all existing earth and related observations to be integrated and queried for meaningful results. Writing in 2017 they stated: For Craig Mundey of Microsoft, the benefits of the macroscope are not only for observation of the Earth, but also of aspects of the people on it:
