The Structure and Growth of Weighted Networks

We propose a model for the growth of weighted networks that couples the establishment of new edges and vertices and the weights' dynamical evolution. The model is based on a simple weight-driven dynamics and generates networks exhibiting the statistical properties observed in several real-world systems. In particular, the model yields a non-trivial time evolution of vertices' properties and scale-free behavior for the weight, strength and degree distributions.

We present a general model for the growth of weighted networks in which the structural growth is coupled with the edges' weight dynamical evolution. The model is based on a simple weight-driven dynamics and a weights' reinforcement mechanism coupled to the local network growth. That coupling can be generalized in order to include the effect of additional randomness and non-linearities which can be present in real-world networks. The model generates weighted graphs exhibiting ...

All crucial features of the recently observed real-world weighted networks are obtained in a model where the weight of a link is defined with a single non-linear parameter $\alpha$ as $w_{ij}=(s_is_j)^\alpha$, $s_i$ and $s_j$ are the strengths of two end nodes of the link and $\alpha$ is a continuously tunable positive parameter. In addition the definition of strength as $s_i= \Sigma_j w_{ij}$ results a self-organizing link weight dynamics leading to a self-consistent distrib...

We present a novel type of weighted scale-free network model, in which the weight grows independently of the attachment of new nodes. The evolution of this network is thus determined not only by the preferential attachment of new nodes to existing nodes but also by self-growing weight of existing links based on a simple weight-driven rule. This model is analytically tractable, so that the various statistical properties, such as the distribution of weight, can be derived. Fina...

Many biological, ecological and economic systems are best described by weighted networks, as the nodes interact with each other with varying strength. However, most network models studied so far are binary, the link strength being either 0 or 1. In this paper we introduce and investigate the scaling properties of a class of models which assign weights to the links as the network evolves. The combined numerical and analytical approach indicates that asymptotically the total we...

A recent paper "Emergence of scaling in random networks" (cond-mat/9910332) by Barabasi and Albert proposes a growth mechanism to produce a stationary scale free distribution of the number of edges per node in large networks such as the Web. The Barabasi-Albert model predicts that older vertices acquire new edges at the expense of younger ones, giving a strong correlation between the time a vertex is introduced and the number of edges it has. We present data from the Web show...

Real-world networks tend to be scale free, having heavy-tailed degree distributions with more hubs than predicted by classical random graph generation methods. Preferential attachment and growth are the most commonly accepted mechanisms leading to these networks and are incorporated in the Barab\'asi-Albert (BA) model. We provide an alternative model using a randomly stopped linking process inspired by a generalized Central Limit Theorem (CLT) for geometric distributions with...

Tools of the theory of critical phenomena, namely the scaling analysis and universality, are argued to be applicable to large complex web-like network structures. Using a detailed analysis of the real data of the International Trade Network we argue that the scaled link weight distribution has an approximate log-normal distribution which remains robust over a period of 53 years. Another universal feature is observed in the power-law growth of the trade strength with gross dom...

A spatial scale-free network is introduced and studied whose motivation has been originated in the growing Internet as well as the Airport networks. We argue that in these real-world networks a new node necessarily selects one of its neighbouring local nodes for connection and is not controlled by the preferential attachment as in the Barab\'asi-Albert (BA) model. This observation has been mimicked in our model where the nodes pop-up at randomly located positions in the Eucli...

In search of many social and economical systems, it is found that node strength distribution as well as degree distribution demonstrate the behavior of power-law with droop-head and heavy-tail. We present a new model for the growth of weighted networks considering the connection of nodes with low strengths. Numerical simulations indicate that this network model yields three power-law distributions of the node degrees, node strengths and connection weights. Particularly, the d...