Modeling Worldwide Highway Networks

TL;DR

This paper compares traditional and modified geographical network models to accurately represent highway systems in Brazil, the US, and England, highlighting the effectiveness of the path-based model.

Contribution

It introduces a modified geometrical network model incorporating paths instead of edges, improving the modeling of real-world highway networks.

Findings

Modified model fits highway data well for Brazil, US, and England.

Brazil's network deviations suggest unique sociogeographic factors.

Optimal parameters identified for each model and country.

Abstract

This letter addresses the problem of modeling the highway systems of different countries by using complex networks formalism. More specifically, we compare two traditional geographical models with a modified geometrical network model where paths, rather than edges, are incorporated at each step between the origin and destination nodes. Optimal configurations of parameters are obtained for each model and used in the comparison. The highway networks of Brazil, the US and England are considered and shown to be properly modeled by the modified geographical model. The Brazilian highway network yielded small deviations that are potentially accountable by specific developing and sociogeographic features of that country.