Nilton Fernando Obando*, Telematics Department of University of Cauca Colombia, Popayan, Colombia Juan Carlos Corrales, Telematics Department of University of Cauca Colombia, Popayan, Colombia Diego M Lopez*, Telematics Department of University of Cauca Colombia, Popayan, Colombia Track: Research Presentation Topic: The nature and dynamics of social networks in health Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2012-09-12

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Background:
People’s health is inter-dependent, therefore healthcare transcends the individual through his real life interactions (Social Network, SN). SN dynamics take place when people carry out daily actions like categorizing others characteristics and behaviors, and establishing or finishing multiple and different types of relationships, which allow and condition information flow between members. Although many models have been proposed for representing SN in online environments, they lack functionality to capture in a formal way all the rich data available in the socialization process.

Research question: How to represent a health SN in an online environment, capturing the dynamics immersed in relations and multiple user-roles?

Objective: To formulate a new framework approach that captures the dynamic aspects of human behavior, focused on the core of the socialization process (relations) and integrating the multiple roles a person can assume in a SN; using formal representation based on enriched graphs.

Methods: A state of the art was analyzed regarding SN Modeling and Semantic Web Technologies. Based on this, Web 2.0 technologies and Graphs are selected for modeling SN relations and roles. Then, a Social Network Site (SNS) platform was adapted and the prototype was integrated (as a plug-in) in order to provide the dynamic management of roles and relationships. The prototype was developed using RUP Methodology. For evaluating results, a formal experiment will be conducted based on software engineering experimentation methods .

Results (research in progress): We developed a Plug-in that extends an open-source SNS. User information in the SNS is captured in a formal manner, which is then enriched and described with semantics using standard ontology’s and inference mechanisms, revealing new relations and multiple user-roles (if applicable) and producing an Enriched Social Graph (ESG). This ESG is stored in a Knowledge Model (KM) representing all users and connections in a SN. KM information is published in the SNS using a Plug-in, allowing users to confirm suggested relationships, role inferences and modify their profile aggregating additional semantic information. All changes are stored in the SNS database and the KM respectively, maintaining accurate user information availability. This platform is currently operating in two healthcare projects: (a) an SNS supporting Health Promotion and Disease Prevention programs in a Medical Service and (b) a community that assists children who are victims of violence and abuse. The experiment intends to demonstrate how multiple and different types of user relations are captured and inferred through the implementation of semantic technologies, and how multiple user roles emerge from interactions, conditioning the dynamic of a SN.

Conclusions: Modeling user profiles, relations and roles with semantics allow the capture of human interactions and behavior in an enriched manner, providing structured information prepared for automated processes and inferences. Describing social relationships with semantics allows us to incorporate more expressiveness and meaning, representing a closer simulation of the human experience. The framework provides the IT environment for measuring the quality of established relations and helps determine how multiple user roles can influence SN dynamics.