A Conference on Bridging Spatial & Network Analyses:
Social network and spatial analytic methods are two distinct but related approaches to formally incorporating context as a focal point of study within a variety of research fields. These two approaches to capturing context share several parallel concepts (e.g., distance, clustering, etc.) and see the non-independence of actors as important factors to be explored, rather than as challenges for analyses to overcome. "Capturing Context: Bridging Spatial and Network Analyses" is a planned short conference aimed at providing a platform for considering the formal integration of network and spatial methods.
The conference will bring together experts on data collection, data analysis, and a variety of substantive foci, including (among others): diffusion dynamics, the social determinants of health, and other community level social processes. In addition to scholarly presentations (invited and refereed), we seek to foster a setting that promotes enhanced collaboration and awareness between those interested in how physical and social environments can be jointly considered. Invited researchers will be selected for their contributions to an understanding of the synergy between social networks and spatial settings - through conceptual, empirical and technical contributions.