TY - JOUR
T1 - Time walkers and spatial dynamics of ageing information
AU - Lizana, George Ludvig
AU - Rosvall, M.
AU - Sneppen, Kim
PY - 2010/1/29
Y1 - 2010/1/29
N2 - The distribution of information is essential for a living system's ability to coordinate and adapt. Random walkers are often used to model this distribution process and, in doing so, one effectively assumes that information maintains its relevance over time. But the value of information in social and biological systems often decays and must continuously be updated. To capture the spatial dynamics of aging information, we introduce time walkers. A time walker moves like a random walker, but interacts with traces left by other walkers, some representing older information, some newer. The traces form a navigable information landscape which we visualize as a river network. We quantify the dynamical properties of time walkers, and the quality of the information left behind, on a two-dimensional lattice. We show that searching in this landscape is superior to random searching.
AB - The distribution of information is essential for a living system's ability to coordinate and adapt. Random walkers are often used to model this distribution process and, in doing so, one effectively assumes that information maintains its relevance over time. But the value of information in social and biological systems often decays and must continuously be updated. To capture the spatial dynamics of aging information, we introduce time walkers. A time walker moves like a random walker, but interacts with traces left by other walkers, some representing older information, some newer. The traces form a navigable information landscape which we visualize as a river network. We quantify the dynamical properties of time walkers, and the quality of the information left behind, on a two-dimensional lattice. We show that searching in this landscape is superior to random searching.
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.040603
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.040603
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 20366697
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 104
SP - 040603
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 4
ER -