  We explore the general properties of near-surface flows around solar active
regions. Helioseismic holography is applied to HMI Dopplergrams yielding nearly
5000 flow measurements of 336 unique active regions observed by the Solar
Dynamics Observatory between 2010 and 2014. Ensemble averages of the flows,
over subsets of regions sorted on the basis of magnetic flux, are performed.
These averages show that converging flows, with speeds about 10 m/s and
extending up to 10 degrees from the active region centers, are prevalent and
have similar properties for all regions with magnetic flux above 10^21 Mx.
Retrograde flows are also detected, with amplitudes around 10 m/s, which
predominantly, but not exclusively, flank the polar side of the active regions.
We estimate the expected contribution of these active-region flows to
longitudinal averages of zonal and meridional flows and demonstrate the
plausibility that they are responsible for at least some component of the
time-varying global-scale flows. The reliability of our flow determination is
tested using publicly available MHD simulations of both quiet-Sun convection
and of a sunspot. While validating the overall methodology in general, the
sunspot simulation demonstrates the presence of artifacts which may compromise
quantitative flow inferences from some helioseismic measurements.
