WP5  Visualization and Algorithmic Aspects of Critical Network Dynamics

Workpackage number:

5

Start date or starting event:

3 months

Participant number:

CO1

CR3

CR5

Person-months per participant:

1

1

22

Objectives
O5.1: To develop and adapt the social network algorithms produced in the COSIN project in order to track avalanches.
O5.2: To adapt existing visualisation software to be able to produce effective visualisations of critical event dynamics.

Description of work
WP5. Visualisations are a very important device with which complex information can be summarised and displayed to researchers, policy makers, and others that need to act on the information without necessarily understanding the underlying theories. Starting point for this workpackage are theoretical methodologies and algorithms developed for the characterization of complex networks as those considered in the EU funded project COSIN (CO-evolution and Self-organization In dynamical Networks). Algorithms for the analysis and visualization of networks will be adapted to model critical events.

Network analysis is based on computing and measuring local indices as actor centrality and status, as well as more global indices like groups and clusters. Algorithms to compute these indices are available for  static networks. However, new models tand algorithms to measure such indices in dynamic networks respectively under consideration of critical events need to be developed. As an additional  mean of network analysis visualisation  need to be constructed to convey network dynamics.

This workpackage is devoted to the design of algorithms for the analysis and visualisation of critical network dynamics. New models and algorithms will be designed for the computation of networks indices under consideration of dynamics. Visualisations will be constructed based initially upon the existing capabilities of the visone software, which is a tool for analysing and visualising social networks. Subsequent research will add additional capabilities to visone which will be specific to the newly identified requirements of critical event visualisations identified in the other workpackages (WP1 to WP4). The raw data for the visualisations will be taken both from the theoretical models of WP1, WP2 and WP3 and the online data collected in WP3 and WP4. The visone software is designed to allow both novices and experts to develop visualisations of complex networks, and so the enhancement of its capabilities to deal with critical event visualisations will be an important contribution to the project.

T5.1:  Development of new algorithms for tracking critical events in complex networks.
T5.2:  Development of effective visualisations of the data from the algorithms and other workpackages.

Deliverables
D5.1:  Models for local network  indices in dynamic networks.
D5.2: Algorithms for the computation of networks indices  and clusters under consideration of critical networks dynamics.
D5.3:  Adaptations  to the visone software to cope with visualisation of critical events.

Milestones and expected results
The development of new algorithms for tracking critical events in complex networks (T5.1) will be completed during 0-18 and assessing existing visualisation algorithms and developing new ones (T5.2) will be completed during the months 12-35.