Static community detection algorithms for evolving networks

Thomas Aynaud and Jean-Loup Guillaume

Proceedings of International Workshop on Dynamic Networks (WDN), in conjunction with WiOpt 2010, pages 508-514

Complex networks can often be divided in dense sub-networks called communities. We study, using a partition edit distance, how three community detection algorithms transform their outputs if the input network is sligthly modified. The instabilities appear to be important and we propose a modification of one algorithm to stabilize it and to allow the tracking of the communities in a dynamic network. This modification has one parameter which is a tradeoff between stability and quality. The resulting algorithm appears to be very effective. We finally use it on a dynamic network of blogs.

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