Social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a powerful method for understanding the importance of relationships in networks. However, interactive exploration of networks is currently challenging because: (1) it is difficult to find patterns and comprehend the structure of networks with many nodes and links, and (2) current systems are often a medley of statistical methods and overwhelming visual output which leaves many analysts uncertain about how to explore in an orderly manner.
Although both statistical methods and visualizations have been used by network analysts, exploratory data analysis remains a challenge. We propose that a smooth integration
of these technologies in an interactive exploratory tool, SocialAction, could dramatically speed insight development.
Users can
- Flexibly iterate through visualizations of measures to gain an overview, filter nodes, and find outliers
- Aggregate networks using link structure, find cohesive subgroups, and focus on communities of interest
- Untangle networks by viewing different link types separately, or find patterns across different edge types using overview visualizations.
For each operation, a stable node layout is maintained in the network visualization so users can make comparisons.
Developed by the HCI Lab at the University of Maryland, SocialAction is a social network analysis tool that integrates visualization and statistics to improve the analytical process.
SocialAction has been used in different projects by helping users make discoveries and dramatically speeding insight development. In the images shown here, SocialAction was the key visualization tool in mapping the social network of the U.S. Senators voting patterns in 2007, after Democrats took control. Republicans (red) are on the right and Democrats (blue) are on the left, with two Independents (maroon). Links indicate the similarity of voting records, revealing that Democrats had stronger party loyalty during 2007. Four Republican Senators from Northeastern states often voted with Democrats. McCain and Brownback were campaigning for the Presidency and did not vote often enough to be connected.
