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Keywords: data visualization, network analysis, network visualization, gephi
For any organization, there is an ongoing need to demonstrate impact and value. In the case of SciLine, a nonprofit startup based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, network visualization has provided one way to clearly and strikingly do this.
SciLine's mission is to get more credible scientific evidence into the news. It does so by connecting scientists to journalists in a variety of ways: one-on-one interviews, media briefings, boot camps, trainings, and more. Having recorded information related to the more than 6,000 scientists and journalists the organization has worked with, and all SciLine-facilitated interactions among them, data is readily available to be transformed into a node-edge format and visualized. By leveraging the open-source tool Gephi, and incorporating the time-dimension of these interactions as well as other filterable variables including plain text and labels, an interactive graphic was created that allows SciLine staff to explore all the interactions they've helped facilitate, an important first step of measuring impact.
A network visualization of these interactions can also help answer questions that have bearing on business strategy much more quickly than possible by standard analytics reports. Which scientists connected with the most journalists? Which journalists have interviewed the most scientists? How sparse or dense is the network for COVID-19-related interactions? What topical areas should SciLine expand into? Who are the most frequently contacted and quoted scientists and experts on a given topic?
The methodology for creating and exploring network visualizations based on business operations data does not require substantial technical skills and can lead to a more holistic understanding of all that an organization does.