Dynamic networks clustering via mirror distance

Abstract

The classification of different patterns of network evolution, for example in brain connectomes or social networks, is a key problem in network inference and modern data science. Building on the notion of a network's Euclidean mirror, which captures its evolution as a curve in Euclidean space, we develop the Dynamic Network Clustering through Mirror Distance (DNCMD), an algorithm for clustering dynamic networks based on a distance measure between their associated mirrors. We provide theoretical guarantees for DNCMD to achieve exact recovery of distinct evolutionary patterns for latent position random networks both when underlying vertex features change deterministically and when they follow a stochastic process. We validate our theoretical results through numerical simulations and demonstrate the application of DNCMD to understand edge functions in Drosophila larval connectome data, as well as to analyze temporal patterns in dynamic trade networks.