Grant: Engage Grants Program

Analyzing Online Social Networks (OSN) has become one of the most pressing problems of modern-day data mining. Due to the exponential growth of these networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), analysis is hampered by the incredible size of the data. Most recent effort has focused on analyzing OSN streams (all Tweets in the US) with less attention paid to analyzing the OSN graph itself.In collaboration with Girih, an Ottawa based analytics company, the Tamblyn Group will develop software for the simulation of network formation and growth. This software package will be a flexible platform that will allow users to specify microscopic criteria for node interactions within the network. Such interactions will be based on microscopic criteria, e.g. current number of neighbours, physical distance, etc. These interactions are analogous (but not limited) to molecule interactions which occur at surfaces and interfaces, a subject area where the Tamblyn Group has experience and expertise.The simulation package will time-evolve these networks until they reach steady-state. Network properties such as connectivity and cluster size will be monitored and reported so that conserved quantities can be identified. This step is crucial for developing large-scale, macroscopic models of online social networks. By developing a microscopic picture of a macroscopic network, the project will result in improved models for analysis, decision making, and communication.