Network science as the dual of statistics
Prof. Dr. Ulrik Brandes (Universität Konstanz)
If statistics is concerned with the collection, management, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of data, then so is network science. The distinction lies neither in a universal network theory nor the complex systems of certain application domains but (i) an incidence structure relating the units of observation and (ii) a corresponding focus on dependencies among observations. While not mainstream, this view clears away some of the smoke and mirrors obscuring the close relationship between statistics and network science.