Abstract
Node-Link diagrams make it possible to take a quick glance at how nodes (or actors) in a network are connected by edges (or ties). A conventional network diagram of a “contact tree” maps out a root and branches that represent the structure of nodes and edges, often without further specifying leaves or fruits that would have grown from small branches. By furnishing such a network structure with leaves and fruits, we reveal details about “contacts” in our ContactTrees upon which ties and relationships are constructed. Our elegant design employs a bottom-up approach that resembles a recent attempt to understand subjective well-being by means of a series of emotions. Such a bottom-up approach to social-network studies decomposes each tie into a series of interactions or contacts, which can help deepen our understanding of the complexity embedded in a network structure. Unlike previous network visualizations, ContactTrees highlight how relationships form and change based upon interactions among actors, as well as how relationships and networks vary by contact attributes. Based on a botanical tree metaphor, the design is easy to construct and the resulting tree-like visualization can display many properties at both tie and contact levels, thus recapturing a key ingredient missing from conventional techniques of network visualization. We demonstrate ContactTrees using data sets consisting of up to three waves of 3-month contact diaries over the 2004-2012 period, and discuss how this design can be applied to other types of datasets.
Highlights
Social networks, which are composed of actors and their connections, have been the subject of a very dynamic field of study for decades [1,2,3]
ContactTrees should appeal to social-science researchers who wish to take advantage of visualization tools that readily help them pinpoint critical features embedded within the multilevel data in social networks
Features supported by our approach can be divided into three main categories, each of which is further divided into smaller types of features: 1. Global aspect of a ContactTree: Balance, Distribution of the values, Outliers in terms of the quantity of contacts
Summary
Social networks, which are composed of actors (or nodes) and their connections (or edges), have been the subject of a very dynamic field of study for decades [1,2,3]. To highlight the overall patterns of such connections, visualization tools often rely on tree-like network diagrams that use nodes (dots or circles) to represent actors, and edges (lines) to represent connections or linkages These contact-tree diagrams, typically stop at the connection level and lack further details about the elements upon which a connection is built: contacts or social interactions. The main idea is to use the features of a tree (the structure of its branches, leaves, fruits, colors, etc.) to map the properties of social interactions This design fits well for visualizing many properties of egocentric networks. In addition to producing attractive representations, our design is extensible, because it is relatively easy to add new glyphs showing other aspects of the dataset With these strengths, ContactTrees should appeal to social-science researchers who wish to take advantage of visualization tools that readily help them pinpoint critical features embedded within the multilevel data in social networks
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
