Network Analysis
The process of examining the connectivity and flow within spatial networks (e.g., roads, rivers, utilities), used for routing, service area analysis, and optimizing spatial movement (inferred from standard GIS usage).
What does network analysis mean in GIS?
In GIS, network analysis is the act of looking at and simulating how items move and link through a network, including roads, rivers, pipelines, or utility lines. It solves real-world spatial issues regarding flow, accessibility, and routing by utilizing the network's topological structure, which is made up of nodes (intersections) and edges (paths or lines).
Finding the quickest or shortest route between two points, identifying service areas, locating the best locations for facilities, examining traffic patterns, and simulating the spread of resources or toxins are examples of common applications. Planners and decision-makers can improve infrastructure construction, emergency response, logistics, and transportation by using network analysis.
Related Keywords
Tools for social network analysis (SNA) make it easier to see and examine connections inside networks, revealing hidden patterns and important influencers. Gephi, NodeXL, UCINET, Pajek, and Cytoscape are well-known technologies used in marketing, organizational research, and sociology.
In order to find performance problems, uncover security risks, and maximize bandwidth utilization, network traffic analysis software assists in the monitoring, recording, and analysis of data packets moving across a network. It gives IT teams information about user behaviour, network behaviour, and application performance, allowing them to improve security, guarantee seamless operations, and solve issues quickly.
The study of the arrangement of devices, nodes, and connections inside a network is known as network topology analysis. It supports effective data flow, performance optimization, vulnerability detection, and communication pattern identification. Organizations can enhance the security, scalability, and dependability of their networks by examining topologies such as star, mesh, bus, or hybrid.
Analysing computer network performance entails assessing a network's dependability, speed, and efficiency. Important measures that aid in locating bottlenecks, enhancing data flow, and guaranteeing seamless communication are bandwidth, latency, throughput, packet loss, and jitter. Organizations may support high-demand applications, improve network stability, and prepare for future scalability by tracking and evaluating these characteristics.