Structure and Dynamics of Collaborative Information Spaces

• Forschungsstelle: COST
• Projektnummer: C14.0036
• Projekttitel Englisch: Structure and Dynamics of Collaborative Information Spaces

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Information Science; Complex Systems; Complex Networks; Multiplex Networks; Temporal Networks

Forschungsprogramme (Englisch)

COST-Action TD1210 - Analyzing the dynamics of information and knowledge landscapes

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

In this project, we want to understand the structure, dynamics and evolution of knowledge spaces which are used to represent collaborative information. In a data-driven modeling approach we will develop new measures for information ranking and user navigation in information space. This will allow us to quantify the interplay between social and information networks and to improve information filtering. Our results will impact academia, the internet industry, and the information society in their attempt to manage the information overload. To reach our goals, we utilize a broad range of quantitative methods from different disciplines, in particular from complex systems theory, multiplex networks, statistical physics, and agent-based modeling. With this interdisciplinary approach, our project highly resonates with the recent COST-Action TD1210 'Analyzing the dynamics of information and knowledge landscapes - KNOWeSCAPE', which aims at the design of novel knowledge maps and information retrieval models for the study and navigation of large information spaces. Collaborating with the researchers of the COST-Action TD1210 will allow us to leverage on the existing competencies, to generate high impact in the information sciences, and to strengthen the position ETH Zurich as a leading institution in this area.

Partner und Internationale Organisationen (Englisch)

AT; BE; BG; HR; DK; FI; FR; MK; DE; EL; HU; IS; IE; IL; IT; MT; NL; PL; PT; RS; SI; ES; SE; UK; CY; UA; US

Abstract (Englisch)

There is an increasingly large amount of information available in information repositories like the World Wide Web (WWW), scholarly publication databases or Online Social Networks (OSNs). To extract knowledge from the repositories is one of the big challenges of our time. This challenge has a technical component in the storage, processing and retrieval of the associated huge amounts of data. But it also has a conceptual component, namely to design measures that suitably rank information according to their relevance for the particular need of a user. Because of this importance, a number of different approaches have been developed to filter information according to its relevance and the reputation of its source. However, the currently observed convergence of social and technical systems raises a number of novel and important issues. Although the social and the information layer of collaborative knowledge spaces are inherently coupled and thus inseparable, the associated question how knowledge orders and social dynamics influence each other has been addressed only partially so far. A systems perspective that integrates both layers is still missing. Closing this gap, in this project we study social feedback phenomena in information networks from the perspective of multiplex and dynamic networks. By taking a multiplex network perspective, we consider the social and the information layer of collaborative knowledge spaces, and quantify their properties as well as mutual dependence. Complementary, by employing recent advances in the study of temporal networks, we quantify the navigation behavior of users in information spaces. We particularly study how the retrievability of content and its ranking, in terms of predominant measures of relevance, is influenced by the structure and dynamics of the social systems that create it. We further address the question how increasingly accessible data on the social dimension of collaborative knowledge spaces can be used to augment existing relevance ranking mechanisms. We consider this question to be of particular interest and significance due to the recent trend towards “socially influenced” information retrieval systems, like, e.g., “social search” or collaborative filtering and recommendation techniques.

Datenbankreferenzen (Englisch)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C14.0036