Mapping family connectedness across space and time

Abstract

Understanding the structure and evolution of family networks embedded in space and time is crucial for various fields such as disaster evacuation planning and provision of care to the elderly. Computation and visualization can potentially play a key role in analyzing and understanding such networks. Graph visualization methods are effective in discovering network patterns; however, they have inadequate capability in discovering spatial and temporal patterns of connections in a network especially when the network exists and changes across space and time. We introduce a measure of family connectedness that summarizes the dynamic relationships in a family network by taking into account the distance (how far individuals live apart), time (the duration of individuals’ coexistence within a neighborhood), and the relationship (kinship or kin proximity) between each pair of individuals. By mapping the family connectedness over a series of time intervals, the method facilitates the discovery of hot spots (hubs) where family connectedness is strong and the changing patterns of such spots across space and time. We demonstrate our approach using a data set of nine families from the US North. Our results highlight that family connectedness reflects changing demographic processes such as migration and population growth.

Keywords:

• space-time visualization
• family connectedness
• network measure
• social network
• family tree

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by The National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0748813. We greatly appreciate the constructive comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers. The data set for the US North has been compiled with funds from NICHD Center for Population Research for the grants “Migration and Intergenerational Processes,” and “Spatial and Family Processes in the Transmission of Wealth”; a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded by the Newberry Library; an EPSCOR grant and grants from the National Science Foundation (Geography Regional Science Program) and the Anthropology Program; a Newberry Library Fellowship (Spring 1987); and a research award from the College of Liberal Arts, University of South Carolina.