This is a web application for the creation and managing of Agency Networks.
Agency Network Analysis (ANA) maps a given actor’s arena of social action in the context of a problem space articulated by that actor. This mapping is done via a multi-part interview process that elicits that actor’s social network map and cognitive map.
For more information you might want to read the Agency Network Analysis Vignette.
AgNeS aids the management of agency netwroks through the usage of databases, which can be queried with arbitrary filters to construct, visualize and export complex networks.
You may use our AgNeS server, hosted by LANCIS.
Or you may run it on your own infrastructure. Here are installation instructions.
AgNeS uses a relational database to store network data. This maintains consistency across tables and avoids data redundancy.
Complex networks are represented as edgelists. Four are included:
- Agency edgelist
- Social edgelist
- Avatar power edgelist
- Mental model edgelist
Each is represented by a table that holds the relationship among entries in other tables.
This is the table scheme:
AgNeS provides web forms to capture and manage data into each of these tables.
The following screenshot shows an agency edgelist. Notice how it connects people with actions through other people.
These three categories of nodes can be represented in a hiveplot for easier analysis.
Other visualizations and export formats are described bellow.
By selecting edges from edgelist tables users may export data into common formats suitable for complex network analyses using other software:
Special visualizations can also be obtained directly from AgNeS:
- Hiveplot, for agency networks
- HeatMap, suitable for comparisons of mental models
- Force-embeded, both in PDF and interactive formats