Spatio-temporal networks: reachability, centrality and robustness

Abstract

Recent advances in spatial and temporal networks have enabled researchers to more-accurately describe many real-world systems such as urban transport networks. In this paper, we study the response of real-world spatio-temporal networks to random error and systematic attack, taking a unified view of their spatial and temporal performance. We propose a model of spatio-temporal paths in time-varying spatially embedded networks which captures the property that, as in many real-world systems, interaction between nodes is non-instantaneous and governed by the space in which they are embedded. Through numerical experiments on three real-world urban transport systems, we study the effect of node failure on a network's topological, temporal and spatial structure. We also demonstrate the broader applicability of this framework to three other classes of network. To identify weaknesses specific to the behaviour of a spatio-temporal system, we introduce centrality measures that evaluate the importance of a node as a structural bridge and its role in supporting spatio-temporally efficient flows through the network. This exposes the complex nature of fragility in a spatio-temporal system, showing that there is a variety of failure modes when a network is subject to systematic attacks.

26 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables

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Cited by in corpus (9)

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• The spreading of computer viruses on time-varying networks
• Concurrency and reachability in tree-like temporal networks
• Temporal patterns of reciprocity in communication networks
• Robustness Assessment of Complex Networks using the Idle Network
• Hierarchical route to the emergence of leader nodes in real-world networks
• Correlations of network trajectories