Role Detection in Bicycle-Sharing Networks Using Multilayer Stochastic Block Models

Abstract

In urban spatial networks, there is an interdependency between neighborhood roles and the transportation methods between neighborhoods. In this paper, we classify docking stations in bicycle-sharing networks to gain insight into the human mobility patterns of three major United States cities. We propose novel time-dependent stochastic block models (SBMs), with degree-heterogeneous blocks and either mixed or discrete block membership, which classify nodes based on their time-dependent activity patterns. We apply these models to (1) detect the roles of bicycle-sharing docking stations and (2) describe the traffic within and between blocks of stations over the course of a day. Our models successfully uncover work, home, and other districts; they also reveal activity patterns in these districts that are particular to each city. Our work has direct application to the design and maintenance of bicycle-sharing systems, and it can be applied more broadly to community detection in temporal and multilayer networks with heterogeneous degrees.