Cooperative, dynamic Twitter parsing and visualization for dark network analysis

Abstract

Developing a network based on Twitter data for social network analysis (SNA) is a common task in most academic domains. The need for real-time analysis is not as prevalent due to the fact that researchers are interested in the analysis of Twitter information after a major event or for an overall statistical or sociological study of general Twitter users. Dark network analysis is a specific field that focuses on criminal, terroristic, or people of interest networks in which evaluating information quickly and making decisions from this information is crucial. We propose a platform and visualization called Dynamic Twitter Network Analysis (DTNA) that incorporates real-time information from Twitter, its subsequent network topology, geographical placement of geotagged tweets on a Google Map, and storage for long-term analysis. The platform provides a SNA visualization that allows the user to interpret and change the search criteria quickly based on visual aesthetic properties built from key dark network utilities with a user interface that can be dynamic, up-to-date for time critical decisions and geographic specific.