A Network Structure Entropy Considering Series-Parallel Structures

Entropy is an important indicator to measure network heterogeneity. We propose a new network structure entropy, SP (series-parallel) structure entropy, based on the global network topology while adding a medial measure that considers the series-parallel structure. First, the results of special networks show that SP structure entropy can overcome other structure’s entropy deficiencies to some extent. Then, through simulation analysis of typical networks, the validity and applicability of SP structure entropy in describing general networks are verified. Finally, we analyze an enterprise consulting network to demonstrate the superiority of the SP structure entropy for real network analysis.