Social Network Analysis
Social Network Analysis (SNA) allows users to explore group
dynamics within a network chart by focusing on the
relationships that exist between entities. Identifying these key
entities and how information may flow through a network can
be quickly achieved using standard SNA centrality measures
such as Betweenness (Number of paths passing through each
entity), Closeness (Proximity of an entity to others within the
network) and Degree (Number of direct links). These
measures allow potential key individuals within a target
network to be quickly identified.
The SNA centrality measures that are included in Analyst’s
Notebook are:
• Degree Centrality - Identifies entities who may be the most
active in a network based on the number of direct links to
other entities
• Closeness Centrality - Identifies entities who may have the
best access to other parts of a network and visibility of
activities within the rest of a network
• Betweenness Centrality - Identifies entities who may act as
gatekeepers or bridges of information and may control
information flow between different parts of a network.
SNA can also be enhanced by the use of weightings to
indicate the strength of differing relationships (links), each of
which has an effect on a target network. This helps to deliver
a more real-world indication of the dynamics and structure of
a given target network.
In Analyst’s Notebook weightings can be set on a chart by
chart basis manually, or can be implemented with the use of a
pre-configured weightings file.