Betweenness

Betweenness centrality measures the number of paths that pass through each entity.

This measure might identify entities with the ability to control information flow between different parts of the network. These entities are called gatekeeper entities. Gatekeepers might have many paths that run through them that allows them to channel information to most of the others in the network. Alternatively, they might have few paths that run through them, but still play a powerful communication role if they exist between different network clusters.

Closeness centrality measures both direct and indirect closeness:

• Direct closeness is when two entities are connected by a link.
• Indirect closeness exists when information can pass only from one entity to another by way of a path that runs through one or more entities.