MultiAspect Graphs: Algebraic Representation and Algorithms

Artur Ziviani (1) , Klaus Wehmuth (1) , Eric Fleury (2, 3)

1 LNCC / MCT - Laboratorio Nacional de Computação Cientifica [Rio de Janeiro]
2 IXXI - Institut Rhône-Alpin des systèmes complexes
3 DANTE - Dynamic Networks : Temporal and Structural Capture Approach

We present the algebraic representation and basic algorithms for MultiAspect Graphs (MAGs). A MAG is a structure capable of representing multilayer and time-varying networks, as well as higher-order networks, while also having the property of being isomorphic to a directed graph. In particular, we show that, as a consequence of the properties associated with the MAG structure, a MAG can be represented in matrix form. Moreover, we also show that any possible MAG function (algorithm) can be obtained from this matrix-based representation. This is an important theoretical result since it paves the way for adapting well-known graph algorithms for application in MAGs. We present a set of basic MAG algorithms, constructed from well-known graph algorithms, such as degree computing, Breadth First Search (BFS), and Depth First Search (DFS). These algorithms adapted to the MAG context can be used as primitives for building other more sophisticated MAG algorithms. Therefore, such examples can be seen as guidelines on how to properly derive MAG algorithms from basic algorithms on directed graphs. We also make available Python implementations of all the algorithms presented in this paper.

Mots clés: complex network; multilayer network; time-varying network; high order network; graph algorithms

Domaines: Informatique mobile

Artur Ziviani, Klaus Wehmuth, Eric Fleury. MultiAspect Graphs: Algebraic Representation and Algorithms. Algorithms, 2016, 10 (1), ⟨10.3390/a10010001⟩. ⟨hal-01424662⟩