Difference between revisions of "Social Network Analysis"

Latest revision as of 14:19, 18 February 2012

Social Network Analysis

Introduction

"Social network analysis is the mapping and measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organisations, computers or other information/knowledge processing entities." (Valdis Krebs, 2002). Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a method for visualizing our people and connection power, leading us to identify how we can best interact to share knowledge.

Tools for SNA

onasurveys http://www.onasurveys.com: Highly recommend. Combines the survey and data analysis tools into one package. And it's online so there is no need to get permissions from IT to install a solution. If there was one hassle it was having to manipulate data from surveys to input into analysis/visualisation tools.

yEd http://www.yworks.com/en/products_yed_about.htm: I've been very happy with yEd. It's a Java based (cross platform) programme for drawing complex diagrammes, developed by the University of Tubingen. It's not highly sophisticated (a plus), but it's powerful and it's free.

We sent out an online survey in a European network asking people (in five different countries) to name the five people they talked to most about their work, and what they talked about. It was fascinating to have that visually mapped out as a starter for reflection and conversation about how people interpreted the visual representation of their network. The presentation of the map is good in the way you can zoom in and out of the whole network or to particular hubs (and you can save it as a PDF).

Two things I learned in the process:

• entering the data is more time-consuming than I anticipated
• the simpler the questions the less room there is for different interpretations and different types of answers (making it more tricky when you enter the data).

Even given the limitations (losing out on the context and complexity) people appreciated the way it was a springboard for talking about themselves, their relationships and their communication practices.

Netdraw http://www.analytictech.com/downloadnd.htm: We have used several SNA mapping and analysis tools, and so far we have preferred Netdraw. It's free, easy to use, and constantly being upgraded and checked by its creator, Steve Borgatti and the folks at Analytic Technologies. Combined with Ucinet (not free), a very complex and powerful tool. We use SNA, among other things, as a tool for Participatory Impact Pathway Analysis (http://impactpathways.pbwiki.com), where project staff draw their own networks, and our team map them with the software. The process and resulting diagrams are, as Bev says, a fascinating springboard for conversation, and very useful to help people grasp the complex relationships around them and their projects.

UCINET6 and NetDraw: While I do not have extensive experience mapping out social networks. I have generated a number of maps using two applications provided through Analytic Technologies (UCINET6 and NetDraw.) The applications can be downloaded for free via the following website: http://www.analytictech.com/ . I found them intuitive and was able to use them to relatively good effect after about five hours of playing around.

Proximity http://kdl.cs.umass.edu/: I have learned to use Proximity, open-source software under development by the Univ. of Massachusetts Knowledge Discovery Laboratory. It is specifically designed for social network analysis and other similar applications.

At my last job I had it running to analyze a database of 100,000 conservation practitioners. We needed to identify "authorities" in conservation to lead a project (You need to have a database with individual's data to analyze.) Due to a time limit I wasn't able to complete my analysis. But I do understand how to use it and would be happy to provide suggestions.

The senior software developer, Augustin Schapiro, has been helpful in explaining how to use the software. I have expressed the need for this software in development applications. I believe with enough interest perhaps the university would consider making it more user friendly. At this point it is research software. In some cases it requires Python programming skills. In other cases the tutorial, which is well done in my opinion, may be sufficient.

you may also check the software pange on the homepage of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (http://www.insna.org/INSNA/soft_inf.html)

You should also ask the experts in their forum for assistance (http://www.insna.org/INSNA/socnet.html).

InFlow I have used InFlow for a few analyses, and once the data file was formatted properly, the GUI was very easy to use. http://www.orgnet.com/index.html. I am not sure of the cost/software licensing etc, as I was using a corporate license that we have.

Pajek Look at Pajek - a social network analysis software. It is freeware. http://vlado.fmf.uni-lj.si/pub/networks/pajek/ There is also a book for this software - de Nooy, W., Mrvar, A., & Batagelj, V. (2005). Exploratory Social Network Analysis with Pajek. . New York Cambridge University Press.

I used it for my research to map concept networks in policy documents. The data for drawing the maps was provided by Leximancer - a text analysis software. Leximancer can also do the job that you want - organisational networks etc.

GenIsis The GenIsis Tool Suite does not specifically do SNA (we are leaving this to the expert applications like UciNet and Pajket), however we do provide VNA capability and enable relatively easy generation of network visuals in Power Point (all objects manually editable within Power Point), Visio and in VRML for interactive 3D visualization. We also have a proprietary viewer (OpenGL/Java) that allows for hyperlinked interactive 2D/3D visualization. The goal in all cases is to allow non-experts to generate and manipulate the visualizations, plus share them widely as editable maps (rather than image formats). Some of these functionalities are open source ( http://www.sourceforge.org) and hence free, while others are for a fee and require a little customization. People hence do not need double PhDs to create, edit and work with maps :) The main use our customers are making of the tools is enabling large wide-spread groups to being using network thinking as a normal tool for decision making - ok, you do need Power Point and ideally Visio.

Net-Map (not IT-based) Using influence network visualization as a tool for knowledge management to improve collaboration

When trying to achieve goals in collaboration with others, we face the problem that a lot of the really crucial knowledge about processes, formal and informal networks, goals of the different people involved and their influence on our work is difficult to capture and talk about. Sometimes strategic planning in groups can feel like you want to plan the route to a specific point of interest without ever having a look at a map together (or, even worse, we all have a map of a different place in front of us and we try to agree on a route, without even knowing that we are not on the same map?).

Net-Map is a hands-on, low-tech, participatory tool for visualizing, discussing, analyzing: Who is involved? How are they linked (formal and informal links)? How influential are they? What are their goals?

I think it makes an interesting tool for institutional knowledge management (institutional memory management?). I would like to invite you to have a look at http://netmap.wordpress.com and am looking forward to your feedback, discussion, inspiration.

Other tools That’s a good list you have down there. Here is a list of libraries and tools I use—taken from my blog sidebar (http://connectedness.blogspot.com)

ONA catalogue of tools http://ona-prac.wikispaces.com/Analysis

INSNA software catalogue http://www.insna.org/INSNA/soft_inf.html

Free Net Drawing Tools in Java http://www.manageability.org/blog/stuff/open-source-graph-network-visualization-in-java/view

Netvis software catalogue http://www.netvis.org/resources.php

GUESS http://graphexploration.cond.org

Jung http://jung.sourceforge.net

Netminer http://www.netminer.com/NetMiner/home_01.jsp

ORA http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/projects/ora/software.html

Prefuse http://prefuse.sourceforge.net

Sentinel href="http://www.fmsasg.com/Products

Tecflow http://www.ickn.org/ickndemo

Touchgraph http://www.touchgraph.com/TG_LJ_Browser.html

Visone http://www.visone.info

Visualyzer http://www.mdlogix.com/visualyzer.htm

Training on SNA

Introduction to social network methods : Online textbook which introduces many of the basics of formal approaches to the analysis of social networks. The text relies heavily on the work of Freeman, Borgatti, and Everett (the authors of the UCINET software package) as well as a text of Wasserman and Faust. The introduction is supported by examples visualized in the Software tools Netdraw and UCINET: http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/nettext http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/networks/nettext.pdf

Training on Social Network Analysis, Mapping social relations: Introduction training provided to the Department of Health of the Philippines by Dr Steeve Ebener, WHO (April 2008): http://www.paho.org/CDMEDIA/KMC-SNA/training-sna.htm

OrgNet - General and customized training for all types of network analysis & visualization: OrgNet, led by Valdis Krebs, is a SNA/ONA software vendor which provides customized training in both software and methodology. The training includes 1 license/seat of the InFlow 3.1 software. The course takes about 8 hours and can be split up into smaller time periods and delivered over the WWW and phone/Skype. Most of the training covers the process of social network analysis. The software is easy and only takes an hour or two. OrgNet also provides mentoring through the first SNA project. http://www.orgnet.com

Dr. Robert Cross, University of Virginia: Introduction into Organisational Network Analysis, Network Analysis Tutorials and Teaching Cases: http://www.robcross.org/network_resources.htm The Network Roundtable at the University of Virginia: https://webapp.comm.virginia.edu/NetworkRoundtable

Net-Map Toolbox - Influence Mapping of Social Networks: Introduction into the Net-Map Toolbox by Eva Schiffer. The course will cover basics of social network analysis, crafted for SNA beginners and practitioners. The course will take place at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC and there is also an option of attending online. However, Eva is planning to record the seminar and produce a CD of it, plus post the file for download: http://netmap.wordpress.com/

Keywords

SNA, social network analysis, tools, recommendations

Detailed Description

We haven't had a recent discussion about SNA itself, but this page is well informed by our discussions about available SNA tools.

KM4Dev Discussions

Dear KM4Dev Community,

After having benefited from several very interesting exchange of emails and information this past year I am pleased to finally have the opportunity to share something that will hopefully be of interest to some of you.

One of the outcome of our reflexion on what Knowledge Mapping techniques could bring in public health has been the creation of a SharePoint site on which we have started posting publications, links and other information about this particular topic and related activates on which we have started to work here at WHO.

We would now be very pleased to give access to this site. Please contact me directly if you would be interested in looking and/or contributing to it.

Apart from that we are looking for institutions that are currently using, or planning to use, Social Network Analysis (SNA) and/or value mapping techniques in a public health context, this in view of guidelines that we would like to prepare for the end of this year.

Thanking you in advance for your answer I am wishing you all an Happy New Year 2007.

Steeve Ebener

Project Manager eHealth World Health Organization 20, AV. Appia 1211 Geneva 27 Phone: +41 22/ 791.47.44 Fax : +41 22/ 791.48.06 Knowledge Mapping: http://sharepoint.who.int/sites/KMS/mapping/default.aspx AccessMod: http://www.who.int/kms/initiatives/accessmod/en/index.html SALB: http://www3.who.int/whosis/gis/salb/salb_home.htm WHO WHS: http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/en/

Examples in Application

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Related FAQs/Wiki Pages

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Further Information

Knowledge Sharing Toolkit of the ICT-KM Program http://kstoolkit.wikis.cgiar.org/Social+Network+Analysis+software

Value Networks Group http://groups.google.com/group/Value-Networks?hl=en

Organizational Network Analysis group http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ona-prac/

International Network for Social Network Analysis (SOCNET ) http://www.insna.org/INSNA/soft_inf.html

SOCNET Experts Forum http://www.insna.org/INSNA/socnet.html

Original Author and Subsequent Contributors of this FAQ

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Dates of First Creation and Further Revisions

FAQ KM4Dev Source Materials

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