Solving the Missing Node problem using structure and attribute information

Abstract

An important area of social networks research is identifying missing information which is not explicitly represented in the network, or is not visible to all. Recently, the Missing Node Identification problem was introduced where missing members in the social network structure must be identified. However, previous works did not consider the possibility that information about specific users (nodes) within the network could be useful in solving this problem. In this paper, we present two algorithms: SAMI-A and SAMI-N. Both of these algorithms use the known nodes' specific information, such as demographic information and the nodes' historical behavior in the network. We found that both SAMI-A and SAMI-N perform significantly better than other missing node algorithms. However, as each of these algorithms and the parameters within these algorithms often perform better in specific problem instances, a mechanism is needed to select the best algorithm and the best variation within that algorithm. Towards this challenge, we also present OASCA, a novel online selection algorithm. We present results that detail the success of the algorithms presented within this paper. Copyright 2013 ACM.