network analysis
This article focuses on public health as an example and uses visuals to simplify network metrics.
Dissemination of information on disease prevention
Imagine you are a public health official tasked with disseminating important information about disease prevention in a densely populated city. Faced with the threat of an epidemic, your mission is clear. It's about educating communities to take proactive measures to protect their health and prevent the spread of disease.
You want to understand network dynamics and identify key influencers and communication channels in your city. Planning your social connections will give you insight into the most effective ways to reach different segments of your population. It also identifies influential groups that can act as messengers to quickly disseminate information about disease prevention.
network analysis
This is where network analysis comes in handy. This computational tool provides a shared language for exploring how individual entities are connected and influence each other within a network. It has applications across a wide range of domains, including but not limited to social networks, brain networks, transportation networks, epidemiology, and supply chains.
The core of a network consists of two main elements: nodes and edges.
node
Nodes represent individual entities within the network. In a social network, a node may represent an individual, such as a person or an organization. In transportation networks, nodes may represent geographic locations such as cities or intersections. Each node typically has unique characteristics or attributes that define its role within the network.
edge
Edges represent relationships or interactions between nodes in a network. Edges specify the direction…
