An information-theoretic model for link prediction in complex networks

Various structural features of networks have been applied to develop link prediction methods. However, because different features highlight different aspects of network structural properties, it is very difficult to benefit from all of the features that might be available. In this paper, we investigate the role of network topology in predicting missing links from the perspective of information theory. In this way, the contributions of different structural features to link prediction are measured in terms of their values of information. Then, an information-theoretic model is proposed that is applicable to multiple structural features. Furthermore, we design a novel link prediction index, called Neighbor Set Information (NSI), based on the information-theoretic model. According to our experimental results, the NSI index performs well in real-world networks, compared with other typical proximity indices.