Link prediction for multilayer networks using interlayer structural information

A multilayer network is a useful representation for real-world complex systems in which multiple types of connections are formed between entities. Connections of the same type form a specific layer of the network. We propose a novel framework for predicting links in a target layer of a multilayer network by taking into account the interlayer structural information. The method depends on the intuitive assumption that two node pairs in the target layer tend to have similar connection patterns if these pairs of nodes are similar. Further, the prediction accuracy will be improved in the target layer if the structural information of the copies of the node pairs in relevant layers is employed. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method experimentally by applying it to both simulated and real-world multilayer networks.