Who Knows Who: A Context-Based Approach to Network Generation for Social Simulations

Veronika Kurchyna, Philipp Flügger, Ye Eun Bae, Jan Ole Berndt, Ingo J. Timm

2025

Abstract

Established network models (small-world, preferential attachment, random, etc.) often fail to capture the full range of characteristics observed in real social networks, potentially limiting the transferability of model results. To address this limitation, we propose a Contextual Network Model that is superimposed on a synthetic population. The model takes into account sociodemographic agent-traits and location data, such as workplaces and frequent leisure activities, to construct a realistic network. To showcase the effect of network topology on model dynamics, we investigate a Susceptible-Infectious-Removed (SIR) model with information diffusion by comparing our proposed network model with the aforementioned established network models. The study identifies an earlier, lower peak of infectious agents, along with a greater number of susceptible agents remaining at the end of the simulation for the proposed network model. Moreover, the study underscores the measurable impact of network topology on model behaviour, revealing different expansion rates and patterns in the information diffusion process. Additionally, this work offers instructions for a customisable implementation of a contextual network model generator for other agent-based models and populations.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Kurchyna V., Flügger P., Bae Y., Berndt J. and Timm I. (2025). Who Knows Who: A Context-Based Approach to Network Generation for Social Simulations. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART; ISBN 978-989-758-737-5, SciTePress, pages 342-350. DOI: 10.5220/0013141900003890

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icaart25,
author={Veronika Kurchyna and Philipp Flügger and Ye Eun Bae and Jan Berndt and Ingo Timm},
title={Who Knows Who: A Context-Based Approach to Network Generation for Social Simulations},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART},
year={2025},
pages={342-350},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013141900003890},
isbn={978-989-758-737-5},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART
TI - Who Knows Who: A Context-Based Approach to Network Generation for Social Simulations
SN - 978-989-758-737-5
AU - Kurchyna V.
AU - Flügger P.
AU - Bae Y.
AU - Berndt J.
AU - Timm I.
PY - 2025
SP - 342
EP - 350
DO - 10.5220/0013141900003890
PB - SciTePress