Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

The Small World Phenomena Of Patent Citation Networks: The Case Of Semiconductor Industry In Taiwan, 1976‐2007Hsung, Ray‐May ; Lu, Ke‐Wei; Yang, Hui‐juSmall World ResearchSmall World, Innovation, Patent CitationsTHURS.AM2We built up the two‐mode networks with patents and their cited patents for semiconductor industry in Taiwan from 1976 to 2007. Then, we constructed theaffiliation networks of the overlapped citation networks among patents. There were very few patents until 1993 in semiconductor industry in Taiwan. Theaverage shortest path distance and average clustering coefficients for the largest components in the affiliation networks from 1993 to 2007 were computed.The average shortest path distance and average clustering coefficients for the random graph over time also were computed. During the period of 1999 to2001, the small world phenomena with large average clustering coefficients and low average shortest path distance were getting significant. It meant that theinnovation system measured by patent citation networks during that period seemed to be more efficient in terms of knowledge acquisition. This period wasthe new stage of technological innovations in the semiconductor industry. This study implied that whether the most innovative period was more likely to occurin a system with small world phenomena.The SNA Observer: A Tool For Collecting Real‐time Longitudinal Sna DataHansberger, Jeffrey T.Poster SessionData Collection, Social Network Analysis, Longitudinal AnalysisSAT.PM3Longitudinal social network data is needed to understand the dynamics, adaptation, and evolution of networks over time, particularly when the mode ofinteraction is face‐to‐face communication. Traditional means of collecting social network analysis (SNA) data that include questionnaires are often notappropriate for collecting this type of dynamic data. In order to push the field of social and dynamic network analysis beyond the analysis of discrete snapshotsof interactions and speculating on what occurs between those snapshots, an observational SNA data collection tool called the SNA Observer was designed. TheSNA Observer collects longitudinal data and allows for longitudinal analysis of interactions among people and information technology or artifacts. The tool wasdesigned for the Apple iPad tablet computer for its mobility and touch screen ease of use and is freely available through Apple’s App Store. The tool is used tocollect relational data as to who is talking to whom, the direction of the communication flow, and the duration of the communication events along with theability to record contextual notes of critical events or information. The comma separated value (CSV) output has been designed to work easily with a numberof common SNA tools such as UCINET and ORA and can be easily transferred from the iPad to a computer for analysis without reformatting of the data. Thetool offers advantages in flexibility, mobility, and efficiency for longitudinal data collection focused on coordination across agents.