Application of graph-spectral methods in the vulnerability assessment of water supply networks

Abstract

[EN] We introduce a methodology based on spectral measurements of graph theory to establish the relative importance of areas in water supply networks (WSNs). To achieve an efficient vulnerability analysis, we have made a prospective study to establish the importance of areas based on two popular ranking algorithms - PageRank and HITS. These areas are analysed using a flexible method of semi-supervised clustering. This approach enables better control because it works top-down from the whole network to the detail of a particular area; and provides valuable additional support for assessing vulnerability in WSNs. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.