The movement of people, the transportation and distribution of goods and services, the delivery of resources and energy, and the communication of information all occur through definable network systems.
Networks form the infrastructure of the modern world.
The form, capacity, and efficiency of these networks have a substantial impact on our standard of living and affect our perception of the world around us. The allocation of resources can be computed and spatial interactions estimated. Allocation functions assign portions of the network to a resource supply location. Tracing tools provide a means to determine whether one location in a network is connected to another. Spatial interaction commands estimate the potential for interactions between populations and centers of attraction.