(1978). On Facilitating Networks for Social Change ... - INSNA

. . . Research Reports cont'dmathematical procedures for data analysis in the form of computer algorithms which will handle large andcomplex network datasets, and (4) providing simulation models of network processes for comparison withstructural models .We have developed a comprehensive network analysis methodology out of these concerns . It was usedto design a package of APL programs with an interactive user interface for the network researcher .NETWORKER is the name of our interactive system, currently running on UCI's Xerox Sigma 7 . The user caninput multiple network matrices (relations) and attribute files on the nodes (node attributes), orgenerate relations and attributes via simulation . NETWORKER performs statistical and algebraic operationson these files in order to identify structural properties of the network, or simulate networkswith such properties (see description in Computer Programs) .At the November AAA meetings in Houston, Brudner and I will give a paper on the progress of thenetwork analysis of the Mexican compadrazgo data, John Jessen will give a paper on a comparison of ourmodel with a network model based on predictions from node attributes, and Lee Sailer will give a paperon our reconceptualization of the structural equivalance problem and his algorithms for decompositionof network matrices via measures of structural relatedness and substitutability .I have a paper in draft with John Boyd on our methodology and its application to Sampson's monasterynetwork data . We have some interesting results which run counter to the commonly acceptedtransitivity model of structural bias in social networks . Our simulation models prove to be exceptionallyuseful in comparing the predictions of different models with empirical data .COMPUTER PROGRAMSA .S . Klovdahl and R .A . OmodeiDepartment of Sociology, The Australian NationalUniversity, Box 4, P .O ., Canberra, A .C .T . 2600,AustraliaANU-MICRONET . A set of programs for computing symmetric adjacency, reachability, symmetric reachabilityand distance matrices for smaller networks (n 85) .A social network may be viewed as a realization of a graph or a digraph, as is well-known . However,merely transforming raw network data into an adjacency matrix, a matrix indicating direct (one-step)links between network nodes, does not provide much useful information . Of more interest and potentialusefulness are symmetric adjacency, reachability, symmetric reachability and distance matrices . Thefirst of these indicates the nodes connected by a direct two-way link ; the second indicates nodesconnected by a path of any length, i .e . indirect as well as direct links ; the third indicates pairs ofnodes connected by a two-way link, direct or indirect ; and the fourth gives the length of the shortestpath between pairs of linked nodes in a network .ANU-MICRONET, which is a Fortran V program written for the ANU's UNIVAC 1100/42 system, computesthese matrices for networks with up to 85 nodes . It consists of a main program and four subroutines,which use approximately 60 blocks of core space . ANU-MICRONET also includes a program (DATAPREP) thatchecks the data (adjacency) matrix to be processed for illegal diagonal entries, and then outputs thedata in a format that facilitates further checking prior to running it through the main program .ANU-MACRONET . A set of programs for computing symmetric adjacency, reachability, and distancematrices for larger networks (n - 600) .ANU-MACRONET is an elementary attempt to make it feasible to use some of the conceptual tools fromgraph theory to analyze data from moderately large networks, and thereby remove some of the problemsof data analysis that in the past have made it difficult to even consider studying social networks quanetworks in large populations . This set of programs, written in Fortran V for the ANU's UNIVAC 1100/42system, computes symmetric adjacency, reachability, and distance matrices for networks with up to 600nodes (and no more than 36,000 links) . Program SYMMAIN, which uses about 100 blocks of core space (fora 600x600 network), computes the first of these matrices and RDMAIN, which uses about 90 blocks,computes the other two . Also included in ANU-MACRONET is a DATAPREP program for checking the inputdata before processing it through the other programs .