Social Network Analysis

With Relations and

Functions

Name: Kavish Misra

Class: XII-A
Roll.No: 17
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deepest gratitude
to my mathematics teacher, Ms. Monica, for
her unwavering support and guidance
throughout my academic journey. Her
passion for mathematics and dedication to
teaching have profoundly influenced my
understanding and appreciation of the
subject.
Her ability to simplify complex concepts and
her patience in addressing each student's
queries have made learning an enjoyable and
enriching experience. Her encouragement
and belief in my potential have been a
constant source of motivation.
I am incredibly grateful for the countless
hours she has spent helping me and for her
continuous efforts to ensure my success. Her
commitment to excellence and her inspiring
approach to teaching have left a lasting
impact on me.
Thank you, Ms. Monica, for being an
exceptional teacher and mentor.
 INDEX
Acknowledgement
Index
The Objectives
Data Collection
Data Preparation
Network Construction
Analysis Techniques
Visualization
Interpretation and
Reporting
Bibliography
 The Objectives
The goals of analysis can vary depending
on the context and the specific objectives
you have in mind. Generally, the goals of
analysis include:
Understanding the Problem: Clearly
define the problem or question at
hand. Determine the scope and
objectives of the analysis.
Gathering Data: Collect relevant data
that will help in understanding and
solving the problem.
Identifying Patterns and Trends:
Analyze the data to identify patterns,
trends, and relationships that provide
insights into the problem.
Generating Insights: Draw meaningful
conclusions from the data analysis to
gain a deeper understanding of the
issue.
Making Informed Decisions: Use the
insights gained from the analysis to
make well-informed decisions or
recommendations.
Evaluating Outcomes: Assess the
effectiveness of the decisions or
actions taken based on the analysis.
Determine if the goals were met and
what could be improved.
Communicating Findings: Clearly
present the results and insights of
the analysis to stakeholders in an
understandable and actionable
manner.
 Data Collection
Data collection is a critical step in any analysis
process, as it provides the foundation for generating
insights and making informed decisions. Here are the
key steps and considerations for effective data
collection:
Steps for Data Collection
Define Objectives:
Clearly outline the goals and objectives of your
analysis.
Determine what information is needed to
achieve these goals.
Identify Data Sources:
Primary Data: Information collected directly
from the source for the specific purpose of the
analysis (e.g., surveys, interviews, experiments).
Secondary Data: Information collected for
another purpose but relevant to the current
analysis (e.g., reports, databases, research
studies).
Select Data Collection Methods:
Quantitative Methods: Surveys, questionnaires,
experiments, and structured observations that
produce numerical data.
Qualitative Methods: Interviews, focus groups,
open-ended surveys, and unstructured
observations that provide descriptive data.
Develop Data Collection Instruments:
Design tools and instruments for data
collection, such as survey questionnaires,
interview guides, and data recording sheets.
Ensure that instruments are valid (measure
what they are supposed to measure) and
reliable (produce consistent results).
Pilot Testing:
Conduct a pilot test of your data collection
instruments and methods to identify any issues
or areas for improvement.
Adjust instruments and procedures based on
feedback and results from the pilot test.
Collect Data:
Implement the data collection plan according
to the defined methods and instruments.
Ensure that data is collected systematically and
consistently.
Ensure Data Quality:
Check for accuracy, completeness, and
consistency of the collected data.
Implement measures to minimize errors and
biases in data collection.
 Data Collection
Data collection is a critical step in any
analysis process, as it provides the foundation
for generating insights and making informed
decisions. Here are the key steps and
considerations for effective data collection:
Steps for Data Collection
Define Objectives:
Clearly outline the goals and
objectives of your analysis.
Determine what information is needed
to achieve these goals.
Identify Data Sources:
Primary Data: Information collected
directly from the source for the
specific purpose of the analysis (e.g.,
surveys, interviews, experiments).
Secondary Data: Information collected
for another purpose but relevant to
the current analysis (e.g., reports,
databases, research studies).
Select Data Collection Methods:
Quantitative Methods: Surveys,
questionnaires, experiments, and
structured observations that produce
numerical data.
Qualitative Methods: Interviews, focus
groups, open-ended surveys, and
unstructured observations that provide
descriptive data.
Develop Data Collection Instruments:
Design tools and instruments for data
collection, such as survey questionnaires,
interview guides, and data recording
sheets.
Ensure that instruments are valid (measure
what they are supposed to measure) and
reliable (produce consistent results).
Pilot Testing:
Conduct a pilot test of your data collection
instruments and methods to identify any
issues or areas for improvement.
Adjust instruments and procedures based
on feedback and results from the pilot test.
Collect Data:
Implement the data collection plan
according to the defined methods
and instruments.
Ensure that data is collected
systematically and consistently.
Ensure Data Quality:
Check for accuracy, completeness,
and consistency of the collected
data.
Implement measures to minimize
errors and biases in data collection.
Document Data Collection Process:
Keep detailed records of how, when,
and by whom data was collected.
Document any issues or deviations
from the planned process
 Data Preparation
Data preparation is a crucial step in the
analysis process, as it involves transforming
raw data into a clean and usable format. Here
are the key steps and considerations for
effective data preparation:

Steps for Data Preparation

Data Cleaning:
Handling Missing Values: Identify and
address missing data through methods
such as imputation, removal, or using
default values.
Removing Duplicates: Detect and
remove duplicate records to ensure
data integrity.
Correcting Errors: Identify and correct
errors in data entries, such as typos,
incorrect formats, and outliers.
Consistency Checks: Ensure
consistency in data entries, such as
uniform formats for dates and
standardized categories.
Data Transformation:
Normalization: Scale data to a common range,
typically between 0 and 1, to ensure
comparability.
Standardization: Transform data to have a mean
of zero and a standard deviation of one.
Encoding Categorical Data: Convert categorical
variables into numerical formats using
techniques such as one-hot encoding or label
encoding.
Feature Engineering: Create new features or
variables that can enhance the predictive power
of the data.
Data Integration:
Combining Data Sources: Merge data from
multiple sources into a single dataset.
Ensuring Consistency: Align data formats and
structures across different sources to ensure
seamless integration.
Data Reduction:
Dimensionality Reduction: Reduce the number
of variables or features using techniques such as
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or feature
selection methods.
Sampling: Reduce the dataset size by selecting a
representative subset of data, if dealing with
large volumes of data.
Data Enrichment:
Adding External Data: Enhance the
dataset by incorporating relevant
external data sources.
Calculating Derived Metrics: Compute
additional metrics or indicators that can
provide more insights.
Data Validation:
Consistency Checks: Verify that data
transformations and cleaning steps have
been correctly applied.
Validation Rules: Apply rules and checks
to ensure data quality, such as range
checks, uniqueness constraints, and
logical consistency.
Data Formatting:
Organizing Data: Arrange data in a
structured format, such as tables or data
frames, suitable for analysis.
Standardizing Formats: Ensure consistent
formats for dates, numbers, and text
entries.
Network Construction
Network construction is the process of
creating a network from data, where the
network consists of nodes (representing
entities) and edges (representing
relationships or interactions between those
entities). Here are the key steps and
considerations for effective network
construction:
Steps for Network Construction
Define Objectives:
Clearly outline the goals of the
network construction.
Determine what entities (nodes) and
relationships (edges) are relevant to
your analysis.
Identify Data Sources:
Collect data that contains information
about the entities and their
interactions.
Ensure that the data sources are
reliable and relevant to your
objectives.
Extract Entities and Relationships:
Identify the entities (nodes) in your data.
Determine the relationships (edges)
between these entities.
Choose Network Type:
Directed Network: Edges have a direction,
indicating a one-way relationship (e.g.,
follower-following relationship on social
media).
Undirected Network: Edges do not have a
direction, indicating a mutual relationship
(e.g., friendship in a social network).
Weighted Network: Edges have weights
representing the strength or frequency of
the relationship.
Unweighted Network: Edges simply
indicate the presence or absence of a
relationship.
Construct the Network:
Nodes: Represent each entity as a node.
Edges: Represent each relationship as an
edge connecting the relevant nodes.
Attributes: Assign attributes to nodes and
edges if necessary (e.g., node types, edge
weights).
Analysis Techniques
Analyzing networks involves various techniques
that help uncover structural properties, identify
key nodes, detect communities, and understand
the overall behavior of the network. Here are
some common analysis techniques:
1. Centrality Measures
Centrality measures identify the most important
nodes within a network based on different
criteria.
Degree Centrality: Measures the number of
direct connections a node has.

degree_centrality = nx.degree_centrality(G)

Betweenness Centrality: Measures the extent

to which a node lies on the shortest paths
between other nodes.

betweenness_centrality = nx.betweenness_centrality(G)

Community Detection
Community detection algorithms identify groups of nodes that are
more densely connected internally than with the rest of the
network.

Modularity-Based Methods: Detect communities by optimizing the

modularity score.
 Network Robustness
Assessing the robustness of a network
involves understanding how the network's
structure changes in response to node or
edge removal.
Percolation Analysis: Study the
network's connectivity as nodes or
edges are progressively removed.
Attack and Failure Simulations:
Simulate targeted attacks or random
failures to assess network resilience.
Subgraph Analysis
Analyzing subgraphs can provide insights
into specific patterns or motifs within the
network.
Cliques: Fully connected subgraphs.
cliques = list(nx.find_cliques(G))
K-Core Decomposition: Identifies
subgraphs where each node has at least k
connections.
k_core = nx.k_core(G, k=3)
 Visualization
Network visualization is a crucial aspect of
network analysis, as it helps to intuitively
understand and communicate the
structure and properties of the network.
Here are some key techniques and tools
for effective network visualization:
Techniques for Network Visualization
Basic Visualization
Node-Link Diagrams: Represent
nodes as points and edges as lines
connecting these points. This is the
most common method for
visualizing networks.
Adjacency Matrices: Represent the
network as a matrix where rows and
columns correspond to nodes, and
cell values indicate the presence or
weight of an edge.
Highlighting Important Nodes and Edges
Use size, color, or shape to highlight
important nodes and edges based on
centrality measures or other attributes.
Example: Larger node sizes for higher
degree centrality, different colors for
different communities.
Community Visualization
Use different colors or clustering
algorithms to visually separate and
highlight different communities within
the network.
Edge Bundling
Bundle edges that are close to each
other to reduce visual clutter in dense
networks.
Interactive Visualization
Enable users to interact with the
network visualization, such as zooming,
panning, and clicking on nodes and
edges to reveal additional information.
 Interpretation and
Reporting
Interpretation and reporting are crucial steps in
the network analysis process. They involve
making sense of the analysis results and
communicating findings in a clear and
actionable manner. Here’s a structured
approach to interpretation and reporting:

Interpretation
Summarize Key Findings:
Centrality: Identify and interpret the most
important nodes based on centrality
measures (degree, betweenness, closeness,
eigenvector).
Example: "Nodes A and B have the highest
degree centrality, indicating they have the
most connections and may be key
influencers."
Communities: Describe the detected
communities and their significance.
Example: "The network is divided into three
distinct communities, suggesting different
subgroups or clusters within the network."
Network Structure: Analyze the overall structure,
such as density, clustering coefficients, and
average shortest path length.
Example: "The network has a high clustering
coefficient and short average path length,
indicating a tightly-knit structure."
Anomalies: Highlight any anomalies or outliers in
the network.
Example: "Node X has an unusually high
betweenness centrality, acting as a bridge between
two major communities."
Contextualize Findings:

Relate the findings to the original objectives and

the broader context of the analysis.
Explain how the network properties and structures
observed relate to the domain-specific questions or
hypotheses.
Derive Insights:

Extract actionable insights from the network

analysis.
Example: "The high centrality of certain nodes
suggests targeting these individuals for information
dissemination could maximize reach."
Identify potential strategies or recommendations
based on the analysis.
Example: "Strengthening connections between
different communities could enhance overall
network cohesion."
Reporting
Structure the Report:

Introduction: Provide background information,

objectives, and the scope of the analysis.
Methodology: Describe the data collection,
preparation, and analysis techniques used.
Results: Present the key findings from the network
analysis.
Discussion: Interpret the findings, derive insights,
and discuss their implications.
Conclusion: Summarize the main points and provide
recommendations or next steps.
Use Clear Visuals:

Include network visualizations to illustrate key

points.
Example: "Figure 1 shows the network structure with
nodes colored by community."
Use charts and tables to summarize quantitative
results.
Example: "Table 1 presents the centrality measures
for the top 10 nodes."
Explain Visuals and Statistics:

Provide clear explanations for all visualizations and

statistical results.
Example: "The histogram in Figure 2 indicates that
most nodes have a low degree centrality, suggesting
a few highly connected hubs."
 Bibliography
Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network
analysis: Methods and applications. Cambridge
University Press.
Barabási, A.-L. (2002). Linked: The new science of
networks. Perseus Publishing.

NetworkX Developers. (n.d.). NetworkX

documentation. Retrieved from
https://networkx.github.io/documentation/sta
ble/
Gephi Consortium. (n.d.). Gephi - The Open
Graph Viz Platform. Retrieved from
https://gephi.org