Data Mining and Profiling in Social Network Analysis

Data mining refers to the practice of analyzing a vast amount of information to discern the patterns and relationships contained within those data. Once detected, these patterns can then be used to draw conclusions about past behavior and make predictions about future behavior. A related practice, data profiling, is the creation and utilization of a user profile from a specific database. Data mining and profiling have many applications and are used by retailers and intelligence agencies alike. Recently, analysts have begun to apply data mining and profiling to social network analysis, examining how the linkages between individuals or “nodes” in a social network affect behavior. As discussed in this entry, the practices of data mining and data profiling, and their use in social network analysis ...