An overview of Software Applications for Social Network Analysis

Abstract

There is a great variety of software tools that has been developed within the last 20 years, as to facilitate and support the qualitative and quantitative analysis of social networks. This paper gives a brief overview of some of the most popular software packages for social network analysis: Pajek, UCINET 6, NetDraw, Gephi, E-Net, KeyPlayer 1, StOCNET and Automap. Pajek has efficient algorithms for the analysis of large networks, while UCINET 6 includes multiple analytical tools highly efficient for exploring and measuring social network structures. NetDraw, nested in UCINET 6, and Gephi allow network visualization. E-Net and KeyPlayer 1 satisfy rather specific and well-oriented purposes: ego-network analysis and network key-player operations (node removal or utilization). StOCNET provides a platform for statistical methods focusing on probabilistic models, while Automap is a text mining tool for analyzing text relational data.