Understanding Complex Systems: When Big Data meets Network Science

Abstract

Better understanding and controlling complex systems has become a grand challenge not only for computer science, but also for the natural and social sciences. Many of these systems have in common that they can be studied from a network perspective. Consequently methods from network science have proven instrumental in their analysis. In this article, I introduce the macroscopic perspective that is at the heart of network science. Summarizing my recent research activities, I discuss how a combination of this perspective with Big Data methods can improve our understanding of complex systems.