Automated social network analysis for collaborative work

Abstract

Inter-networked computers enable virtual collaborative work. In the course of interacting with one another, individuals send and receive messages and files of various sorts. This may be done within specialized collaborative work environments, or by simply employing a combination of different communication tools and applications. In the course of doing their work, collaborators perform different actions that create and/or otherwise manipulate digital artifacts that are related to different aspects of their collaboration. Social network analysis is used to develop a fuller understanding of interactions between people. We describe a software prototype of a tool that automatically measures and analyzes aspects of collaboration developing visualizations of likely social interactions. In this paper we describe the system, some early results, and several different possible applications of the technology.