Returning the particular : understanding hierarchies in the Belgian logistics system

Abstract: The recent proliferation of big data sources has given rise to a data deluge. Network theory has become the standard methodology to frame, develop and analyze such massive datasets. In line with the critique of Schwanen (2016), we argue in this paper that initiatives confronting network-based insights with (qualitative) location- and domain-specific insights are necessary in understanding, discussing and advancing the role network analysis can play in geography. By iterating a community detection algorithm to achieve different levels of communities and quantifying the borders between... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Beckers, Joris
Vanhoof, Maarten
Verhetsel, Ann
Dokumenttyp: acceptedVersion
Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
Schlagwörter: Economics
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26527415
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1465350151162165141

Abstract: The recent proliferation of big data sources has given rise to a data deluge. Network theory has become the standard methodology to frame, develop and analyze such massive datasets. In line with the critique of Schwanen (2016), we argue in this paper that initiatives confronting network-based insights with (qualitative) location- and domain-specific insights are necessary in understanding, discussing and advancing the role network analysis can play in geography. By iterating a community detection algorithm to achieve different levels of communities and quantifying the borders between them through damping values (as proposed in Grauwin et al., 2017), we show how to derive the hierarchical structure within the logistics buyer-supplier network in Belgium. This allows for a richer geography, which has been missing in current big data studies.