Seeking an Online Social Media Radar

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how the application of Systems Engineering tools and techniques can be applied to rapidly process and analyze the vast amounts of data present in social media in order to yield practical knowledge for Command and Control (C2) systems.Design/methodology/approachBased upon comparative analysis of related literature a conceptual model is proposed and a Systems Engineering trade study conducted for capabilities to predict mass collective action based on social network analysis tools.FindingsThe study conducted in the course of this research demonstrates significant relationships between Social Network Analysis (SNA) parameters, which describe Node Influence measured in an online social network, to reported crowd sizes at protest demonstrations. Furthermore, Network Communication variables measured in an online social network were also shown to have significant relationships to reported crowd sizes. It is concluded that while further study of larger datasets is needed, this avenue of approach is warranted and could lead to an operational online social media radar sensor system.

Author

• ter Veen, James

Language

• en

Keyword

• social network analysis
• social media
• systems engineering
• occupy movement
• crowd size

Date created

• 2014

Type of Work

• Dissertation

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Engineering Mgt and Systems Engineering

Degree

• Ph.D.

Advisor

• Mazzuchi, Thomas
• Sarkani, Shahram

Committee Member(s)

• Murphree, E L
• Bischoff, John
• Dever, John

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/ww72bb552