While much of the work we do with graph analysis is visually oriented, there are still some critical ways to assess networks that rely more heavily on calculated measures. These measures can help us to add some hard numbers to our existing graph and begin to compare elements both within a network as well as across networks.
Graph statistics come in many flavors and can be used to assess multiple aspects of a network, giving us additional support beyond the visual analysis we might already have done. In this chapter, we'll take a tour through many of the statistical measures available in Gephi in the following order:
We'll start with a general overview of graph statistics and learn how and why they are critical to understanding the structure of our network.
Next, we'll focus on interpreting many of the statistical measures using the Gephi Statistics tab.
Finally, we'll spend a significant portion of the chapter working with some network data, using the statistics to...