Interventions in Networks

Abstract: Interventions are made in networks to change the network or its values in a desired way. The intervention strategies evaluated in the study described here use network sampling designs to find units to which interventions are applied. An intervention applied to a network node or link can change a value associated with that unit. Over time the effect of the intervention can have an effect on the population that goes beyond the sample units to which it is directly applied. This paper describes the methods used for this study. These include a variety of link-tracing sampling designs in networks, a number of types of interventions, and a temporal spatial network model in which the intervention strategies are evaluated. An intervention strategy is associated with an agent and different intervention strategies interact and adapt to each other over time. Some preliminary results are summarized regarding potential intervention strategies to help alleviate the HIV epidemic.