Research on complex network modeling of building materials supply and demand and characteristics of communities

Heliyon. 2024 Feb 27;10(5):e26766. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26766. eCollection 2024 Mar 15.

Abstract

Currently, China's building materials market is large and the supply and demand transactions are very frequent, which requires us to have a comprehensive understanding of the supply and demand transactions of building materials. Based on complex network theory, this paper constructs a complex network model of supply and demand of building materials. And the Louvain algorithm is also improved to identify and characterize the network community relations based on the characteristics of this network. This paper also applies prefabricated components as an example for empirical research and obtains the following findings: (1) From 2017 to 2022, large- and medium-sized communities in the network gradually increase while small communities gradually decrease; the internal connectivity of large communities is higher than that of small communities; and the regional network also has the structural characteristics of the network. (2) The characteristics of geographic agglomeration gradually emerge in the individual communities in the supply-demand network of prefabricated components with the passage of time. Most of these communities are bounded by provinces, and large-scale communities are distributed in the eastern and southern coastal areas. Thus, this paper visualizes the supply and demand of construction materials to provide a theoretical basis and methodological support for the supply and demand of construction materials and the development of the construction industry.

Keywords: Community characterization; Complex networks; Geographic distribution; Supply-demand relationship.