1. Data Collection: Gathering data on interactions, movements, and connections among individuals. This can be done through surveys, contact tracing, and digital data sources like mobile phone records.
2. Network Construction: Creating a visual or mathematical representation of the network. Nodes represent individuals, and edges represent interactions or connections between them.
3. Metrics Calculation: Calculating various metrics to understand the network's structure. Key metrics include: - Degree Centrality: Number of connections a node has. - Betweenness Centrality: How often a node lies on the shortest path between other nodes. - Clustering Coefficient: Degree to which nodes cluster together.
4. Simulation and Modeling: Running simulations to understand how diseases might spread through the network and the potential impact of different interventions.
