Summary: The ModuLand method-family

Advances of analytical methods and computation in the last decade helped to assemble enormous data sets on a large variety of complex systems from cells to society requiring the network approach for their analysis and description. A focal point of network studies is the determination of their communities or modules, which help the functional organization and evolution of networks. Here we introduce ModuLand, an integrative, novel method-family, which determines the overlapping network modules as hills of a community landscape. The ModuLand method-family includes several widely used modularization methods as special cases and contains a number of entirely novel approaches. Our studies on word-association, school-friendship, electric power-grid and protein interaction networks show that the novel sub-methods of the ModuLand method-family are fast tools for the analysis of weighted and directed networks, which
(1) determine overlapping modules with a high resolution;
(2) uncover a hierarchical network structure in previously unprecedented details allowing a fast, zoom-in analysis of large networks;
(3) allow the determination of key network elements and
(4) help to predict network dynamics.
The ModuLand method-family opens a wide range of possibilities to develop further new methods and applications including the identification, comparison and prediction of target elements of ecosystems, cellular, social and technical networks for focused protection, intervention and development.

Downloadable materials:

• Manuscript describing the ModuLand method:
  Kov�cs, I.A., Palotai, R., Szalay, M.S. and Csermely, P. (2009) Community landscapes: a novel, integrative approach for the determination of overlapping network modules (note: this is not the most recent version!). (http://www.arxiv.org/abs/0912.0161v3) Download it!
• Supporting Information of the manuscript containing a detailed description of the ModuLand method including the pseudo-codes of all algorithms used, 14 Figures, 3 Tables (with 18 module definitions, 112 different modularization methods, 10 module comparision methods), a Supplementary Discusssion and 334 references (note: this is not the most recent version!). Download it!
• A detailed User Guide to use the ModuLand program package (note: this is not the most recent version!). Download it!
• The ModuLand algorithm package described in the User Guide also including all network data used in the manuscript. (Please note that a Linux-based operating system is required for running the ModuLand programs included. Alternatively, a prebuilt VirtualBox Image is available for running the ModuLand programs on your computer.) Register and download!

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Other publications:

• You can find our previous network community-related publications here.
• You can find the 2006 starting ideas of the ModuLand method as a patent application here.