"Geopolitical" maps of the Internet: application of new information representation methods

Abstract

Based on university website analysis, from different countries, maps can be built up that show visual relations among them. New information representation methods are used, such as web site cocitation (cositation analysis) and multidimensional scaling (MDS). An attempt has been made to demonstrate that these relations are closely tied up to the ones established in the real world, and that they suit a political pattern instead of an academical one, allowing us to generate Internet "geopolitical" maps. Our proposal is to use this kind of representations as tools for the social-political analysis of the real world environment. A snapshot can be gotten of a particular geographical region in a specific time, whereof new and valuable information can be obtained .

University web sites; Information representation methods; Webometrics; Multidimensional Scaling; Cositation analisys; Knowledge maps