nethist: An R package for Nonparametric Graphon Estimation via Network Histograms

Abstract

Understanding the generative mechanism of real-world networks is crucial for analyzing connection patterns and making inference from network data. Graphons are widely used to model such mechanisms. Network histogram methods are nonparametric approaches based on blockmodel approximations that provide an intuitive view of network connection structures. However, there is a lack of software packages that construct network histograms. We introduce the R package nethist, which implements network histogram-type graphon estimators within a unified interface. This package is applicable to both single-layer and multilayer networks, and includes graphical summaries for examining both local and global network structures. By providing comprehensive network analysis tools, nethist facilitates understanding of complex systems of interrelated vertices.