Mapping research networks supported by the National Geographic Society through spatial social networks

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research is an interconnected global endeavor. Networks of research collaborations are often using Social Networks Analysis. Its variant Spatial Social Networks allowing explicit embedding of spatial information in the network. Variations in incorporating spatial information results in multiple conceptualizations of networks, enabling exploration of a variety of questions regarding collaborations. To elucidate this approach the National Geographic Society grants database (1890–2016) is utilized to create three different networks that embed spatial information in distinct ways. Each network highlights a different aspect of connectivity latent in the dataset and along with the spatial information, emphasizes international and regional trends of collaborations. The networks explicate the international nature of collaborative research by virtue of people collaborating explicitly, or by working in the same places. It also highlights the multidisciplinary nature of research in various countries, and how it can be useful to ideate about new projects. Additionally, the network approach highlights the dominance of global north in conducting fieldwork-based research across the world, mostly through collaborations. The abstraction afforded by social network models requires further deliberation on the way spatial relationships can be captured differently using the node-edge structure and how these alternate networks compare to traditional networks in GIScience.