A Fast Community Detection Algorithm Based on Reconstructing Signed Networks

Signed networks depict the individual cooperative or hostile relationship in a population, which can help to deeply mine the characteristics of complex networks and predict the potential collaboration between individuals by analyzing their interaction within different groups or communities. In this article, first of all, an improved modularity function for signed networks is proposed on the basis of the existing modularity function. Then, a new community detection algorithm for signed networks has also been devised, and time complexity analysis shows that the time required for the algorithm has a linear relationship with the number of nodes in the sparse networks. Meanwhile, the affinity index that can be used to convert directed signed networks into the corresponding undirected signed networks is come up with. Finally, the current algorithm has been applied into several illustrative and realistic networks. The experimental results indicate that the number of communities given by the proposed algorithm is consistent with that of actual communities, and thus, it can be further conducive to identifying the community structure hidden within the real-world systems.