Social network analysis software
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social network analysis software is used to identify, represent, analyze, visualize or simulate nodes (e.g. agents, organizations, or knowledge) and edges (relationships) from various types of input data (relational and non-relational), including mathematical models of social networks. The output data can be saved in external files. Various input and output file formats exist.
Network analysis tools allow researchers to investigate representations of networks of different size - from small (e.g. families, project teams) to very large (e.g. the Internet, disease transmission). The various tools provide mathematical and statistical routines that can be applied to the network model.
Visual representations of social networks are important to understand network data and convey the result of the analysis [1]. Visualization is often used as an additional or standalone data analysis method. With respect to visualization, network analysis tools are used to change the layout, colors, size and other properties of the network representation.
Some of the social network tools are:
- For scholarly research tools like UCINet [2], Pajek [3], ORA [4], the "statnet" suite of packages in "R"), and “GUESS” [5] are popular.
- Examples of business oriented social network tools include NetMiner [6], InFlow[7].
- An open source package for Linux is Social Networks Visualizer or SocNetV [8]
- Another generic open source package for Windows, Linux and OS X with interfaces to Python and R is "igraph" [9]
- For Mac OS X a related package installer of SocNetV [10] is available.
- For integrated egocentric data collection and visualization SocioMetrica
A systematic overview and comparison of a selection of software packages for social network analysis was provided by Huisman and Van Duijn (see references or Draft(PDF)). A large list of software packages and libraries can be found under Computer Programs for Social Network Analysis, maintained by the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA).
Collection of Social Network Analysis Tools and Libraries
| Product | Main Functionality | Input Format | Output Format | Platform | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutoMap[11] | Network Text Analysis | .txt | DyNetML[12], .csv | Any (it's in Java) | Freeware for non-commercial use | Text mining tool that supports the extraction of relational data from texts. Distills three types of information: content analysis, semantic networks, ontologically coded networks. In order to do this, a variety of Natural Language Processing/ Information Extraction routines is provided (e.g. Stemming, Parts of Speech Tagging, Named-Entity Recognition, usage of user-defined ontologies, reduction and normalization, Anaphora Resolution, email data analysis, feature identification, entropy computation, reading and writing from and to default or user-specified database). |
| Commetrix [13] | Dynamic network visualization & analysis | Commetrix-Files, direct import from data sources/DB's, (standard DB and File Specs upcoming) | CSV Tables for SNA Metrics over time,(Graph Videos per Screencast), Keywords, Graphs, etc. in GUI | Any system supporting java (developed for Windows Platform) | Free trial, commercial licenses, free research collaboration (in beta-user group), | Commetrix is a Software Framework and Tool for Dynamic Network Analysis and Visualization. It provides easy exploratory access to network graphs and has been applied to study co-authorship, Instant Messaging, manual SNA surveys, e-mail, newsgroups, etc. Each node and each linking event can have properties, e.g. types of messages or rank of nodes, but also types, topics, or time stamps. This allows animations of network growth, structural change, and topic diffusion. A short introductory video is available on the website. |
| DyNet [14] | Data analysis | *.agf(proprietary), *.net(pajek), *.txt | *.agf(proprietary), *.net(pajek), *.txt | ? | Proprietary(starting from $3000/user) | DyNet SE (Standard Edition) is an innovative software tool to analyse pools of complex data unveiling relations and interconnections via graphical and verbose outputs. DyNet SE is based on social network theory therefore relational data is visualised in terms of networks. |
| EgoNet Active Development or Explanation | Ego-centric network analysis | Conducts interviews or takes any valid XML file | Output to CSV and convertible to almost any other format | Any system supporting Java | Open Source, seeking contributors | Egonet is a program for the collection and analysis of egocentric network data. If you are new to ego-centered networks please read over the Introduction to Ego-centered networks page (link to the Introduction to Ego-centered Networks). This software will assist you in creating the questionnaire, collecting the data and providing general global network measures and data matrixes that can be used in further analysis by other software programs. |
| igraph[15] | Analysis and visualization of very large networks | .txt (edge list), .graphml, .dot, .gml, .ncol, .lgl, .net | .txt (edge list), .graphml, .dot. .gml, .ncol, .lgl, .net | Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | Open source (GNU GPL) | igraph is a C library for the analysis of large networks. It includes fast implementations for classic graph theory problems and recent network analysis methods like community structure search, cohesive blocking, structural holes, dyad and triad census and motif count estimation. Higher level interfaces are available for R, Python and Ruby. |
| Java Universal Network/Graph (JUNG) Framework | network and graph manipulation, analysis, and visualization | built-in support for GraphML, Pajek, and some text formats; user can create parsers for any desired format | built-in support for GraphML, Pajek, and some text formats; user can create exporters for any desired format | Any platform supporting Java | Open source (BSD license) | JUNG is a Java API and library that provides a common and extensible language for the modeling, analysis, and visualization of relational data. It supports a variety of graph types (including hypergraphs), supports graph elements of any type and with any properties, enables customizable visualizations, and includes algorithms from graph theory, data mining, and social network analysis (e.g., clustering, decomposition, optimization, random graph generation, statistical analysis, distances, flows, and centrality (PageRank, HITS, etc.)). It has been used to analyze networks in excess of 1 million nodes (although visualizations are currently more limited), and is limited only by the amount of memory allocated to Java. |
| KrackPlot [16] | Network visualization | UCINET, Mathematica | UCINET, Mathematica | ? | ? | KrackPlot is a program for network visualization designed for social network analysts. |
| libSNA [17] | Basic network statistics | Csv | Csv | Any platform supporting python | Open source(LGPL) | libSNA is the premier open source library for conducting SNA research. Written in the object oriented programming language Python, libSNA provides a simple programming interface for applying SNA to large scale networks. libSNA is built on top of the open source library networkX; without networkX, libSNA would not be possible. |
| MetaSight [18] | Email/communication network visualization and analysis | ? | ? | Commercial | MetaSight is an enterprise social software application which uses data from routine e-mail to infer and map business expertise and relationships. | |
| NetMiner [19] | All-in-one Software for Network Analysis and Visualization | .xls(Excel), .csv(text), .dl(UCINET), .net(Pajek), .dat(StOCNET), .gml; NMF(proprietary) | .xls(Excel), .csv(text), .dl(UCINET), .net(Pajek), .dat(StOCNET), NMF(proprietary) | Microsoft Windows | Commercial ($16/user ~ $6,600/user) with free trial | NetMiner is an innovative software tool for exploratory analysis and visualization of network data. NetMiner allows you to explore your network data visually and interactively, and helps you to detect underlying patterns and structures of the network. Main features include : analysis of large networks, comprehensive network measures and models, both exploratory & confirmatory analysis, interactive visual analytics, what-if network analysis, built-in statistical procedures and charts, full documentation(1,000+ pages of User's Manual), expressive network data model, facilities for data & workflow management , and user-friendliness. |
| Network Genie [20] | Social Network Survey Data collection | Online survey and project design environment | Output to CSV, InFLow[21], UCINET[22], NEGOPY [23] and MultiNet [24] | Any web browser | Payment assessed for the number of egos who complete surveys. $3.00 per ego with volume discounts. | Network Genie makes it easy and affordable to design and manage social network survey projects. Network Genie helps you: (1) Design complete and egocentric network surveys using a wide variety of survey question formats; (2) Manage social network projects, including manage a collaborative team who have privileges defined by a project coordinator; (3) Collect social network data using online forms; and (4) Download and export data to the social network analysis program of your choice. Registration is easy and free. |
| Network Workbench[25][26] | Modeling, Analysis and Visualization of Large Scale Networks | .net, .mat, .graphml, .nwb, .csv, xgmml | .net, .mat, .graphml, .nwb, .csv, xgmml, .eps, .pdf | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Solaris | Open Source (Apache 2.0) | Over 60 different algorithms to use (including GUESS and DrL) |
| ORA[27] | Social Network Analysis | DyNetML[28], .csv | DyNetML, .csv | Windows | Freeware for non-commercial use | Risk assessment tool for locating individuals or groups that are potential risks given social, knowledge and task network information. Based on network theory, social psychology, operations research, and management theory a series of measures of "criticality" have been implemented into ORA. find those people, types of skills or knowledge and tasks that are critical from a performance and information security perspective. |
| Pajek[29][30] | Analysis and Visualization of Large Scale Networks | .net, .paj, .dat(UCINET), .ged, .bs, .mac, .mol | .net, .paj, .dat(UCINET), .xml(graphML), .bs | Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | Freeware for non-commercial use | |
| R | Social network analysis within the versatile and popular R environment | R will read in almost any format data file | R has write capability for most data formats | Windows, Linux, Mac | Open source | R contains several packages relevant for social network analysis: igraph is a generic network analysis package; sna performs sociometric analysis of networks; network manipulates and displays network objects; ergm implements exponential random graph models for networks; latentnet has functions for network latent position and cluster models; degreenet provides tools for statistical modeling of network degree distributions; and networksis provides tools for simulating bipartite networks with fixed marginals. Most of these packages are part of the statnet suite, obtainable through the statnet meta-package. |
| Sentinel Visualizer [31] | Comprehensive network analysis and visualization | Structured XML and unstructured documents in Word, PDF, Excel, Text and HTML formats. | Structured XML and unstructured documents in Word, PDF, Excel, Text and HTML formats. | Microsoft Windows | Commercial(starting from $2000/user) | Sentinel Visualizer is a Windows-based program that provides data visualization, analysis and knowledgebase management all within one product. Sentinel Visualizer produces interactive dynamic link charts, timeline and geospatial views, and provides a variety of analysis tools including Social Network Analysis, temporal analysis and entity and relationship weighting. Sentinel Visualizer includes a multi-user knowledgebase for efficiently and economically storing analysis data. |
| SocioMetrica [32] | EgoNet, LinkAlyzer, and VisuaLyzer applications | DyNetML, Excel, DL, text, UCINET | DyNetML, Excel, DL, text, UCINET, SPSS | Windows | Shareware | A set of applications for interview-based gathering of egocentric data (EgoNet), linking of data records through matching of node attributes (LinkAlyzer), and visualization (VisuaLyzer). VisuaLyzer also provides prototype functionality for analysis using a relational algebra model. A relational programming language, RAlog, derives and analyzes representations in this relation algebra. |
| SocNetV [33] | Social Networks Visualisation and Analysis Tool | .net (pajek), .dot (GrapViz), .sm/.net (Sociomatrix), .xml (GraphML) | .net (pajek), .dot (GrapViz), .sm/.net (Sociomatrix) | Linux, Windows, Mac (Qt toolkit needed) | Free Software (GPL3) | SocNetV (Social Networks Visualiser) is an open-source GUI tool, developed on the cross-platform Qt toolkit. Its primary purpose is to enable the user to draw social networks by clicking on a canvas. It can also compute network properties and statistics (centralities, etc) as well as apply (limited) layout algorithms. |
| SONIVIS [34] | Network visualisation and analysis, especially Wiki-based information spaces | .xml(graphML) | .xml(graphML) | Windows, Linux | open-source (GPL) | SONIVIS:Tool is a Java-based, open-source application, which is based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP). The user interface is organized into three main perspectives: Analysis, Manipulation, and Statistics. Besides various Wiki and network analysis metrics, the tool provides predefined and user-definable graphical analyses. It offers a quick overview on current Wiki states or developments |
| UCINET [35] | Allrounder for Network Analysis | Excel, DL, text, Pajek format | proprietary (##.d & ##.h) | Windows | Shareware | A comprehensive package for the analysis of social network data as well as other 1-mode and 2-mode data. Can handle a maximum of 32,767 nodes (with some exceptions) although practically speaking many procedures get too slow around 5,000 - 10,000 nodes. Social network analysis methods include centrality measures, subgroup identification, role analysis, elementary graph theory, and permutation-based statistical analysis. In addition, the package has strong matrix analysis routines, such as matrix algebra and multivariate statistics. |
| UNISoN [36] | Download usenet messages and save SNA output files | Reads from free NNTP servers | Creates CSV files and Pajek .net files | Any system supporting Java | Freeware | A java application that can download Usenet messages from free NNTP servers, show the saved messages, then allow filtering of data to save to a Pajek network file or CSV file. It creates networks using the author of each post. If someone replies to a post, there is a unidirectional link created from the author of the post to the author of the message they are replying to. There is also a preview panel that shows the network visually. |
| UrlNet [37] | Generation of social network analysis program input files | World Wide Web pages, online search engine result sets, and Internet Web Service APIs | currently generates Pajek projects [38] and GUESS .gdf files [39] | Any (it's written in Python, requires v2.5 or higher [40]; source code is included) | Freeware for non-commercial use | UrlNet is a Python class library for generating networks based on Internet linkages. In the simplest case, UrlNet creates a tree by harvesting the outlink URLs from the page referenced by a root URL (level zero); retrieving each of those pages (level 1), harvesting their outlink URLs; retrieving those pages (level 2), harvesting their outlink URLs; et cetera to a caller-specified depth. UrlNet can also create "forests", the union of multiple tree networks. Specialized classes are provided for generation of networks from search engine result sets (6 search engines are currently supported).
UrlNet can also utilize URL-based Web Service APIs to generate networks. Current examples include Technorati's Cosmos API and three types of networks utilizing APIs provided by the National Center for Biological Information (NCBI) [41]. More than 20 example programs are provided, along with a 65-page user manual, to help Python programmers get up to speed. |
| VisuaLyzer [42] | Network visualization | Edgelist/Edgearray, Excel or GraphML formats | Edgelist/Edgearray, Excel or GraphML formats | ? | Commercial | Interactive tool for entering, visualizing and analyzing social network data.
Create nodes and links directly in VisuaLyzer, or import data from Edgelist/Edgearray, Excel or GraphML formats. |
| WAND [43] | Ecological network analysis | Scor files | Scor files | Microsoft Windows | Open source(GPL) |
[edit] References
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