PREVIOUS MASTER'S RESEARCH
The domains of sociology and geography are both mature in their environment. While the Social Network Analysis (SNA) in the discipline of sociology has been widely used to show the connection between the magnitude of social activity and distance, there is a limited amount of research analyzing the social networks in Geographic Information System (GIS). My research focused on exploring social support and opposition representation of the coal industry in the social network and observing its spatial and temporal pattern.
Studying How Interaction Has Affected Environmental Laws
INTERVIEW BY HANNAH ERICKSON
Social media analysis does not often fit in the same conversation as geographic information system research, but Jie Shi Liew, a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, sees unique benefits in combining the two practices.
Once completed, her research might give a better glimpse into how and why the government makes environmental laws, and whether those policies change based on social media interaction and community involvement.
Combining GIS with social networking
Over the last few years, research has greatly developed in both the fields of geographic information systems and social network analysis. Yet, while both fields continue to see growth, little research looks at a combination of the two together.
“For GIS we often look at the location, which also examines where people are at on those locations,” Liew said. “Social network analysis is also very closely related, as it looks at people.”
If we can look at people, and at the same time know where they are from, we can get a brand new combination of two resources we already have, Liew explained.
Evaluating social media to understand the impact of public opinion
One of the most useful places for the two techniques to combine is evaluating how the laws and policies are adjusted based on public opinion. As a geography and environmental resources major, Liew is most interested in analyzing social media conversations centered on renewable energy sources.
Liew, under the guidance of Ruopu Li, assistant professor in the geography degree program, is analyzing Twitter data to see how often people mention energy topics. She is then using GIS techniques to evaluate how different rules vary in different regions. Her goal is to understand the correlation between social interaction on these topics and government implemented policies.
Thanks to her background in mathematics, Liew has a leg up on the coding elements of the research. By combining the GIS coding with the social network analysis data, it gives a unique peek into how people are feeling about the energy industry.
“We are planning to look into hashtags and comments about coal usage on Twitter to see what people are thinking,” Liew said. “At the same time, we will use our coordinate data to see where the individuals are from.”