Small-World Network in OMNeT++

The small-world phenomenon describes the behavior of very large networks with a relatively small number of hops between any two nodes. The main characteristics of such networks are small average path length (L) and large clustering coefficient (C). In this work, a model of the small-world network from Watts and Strogatz is created by using the simulation platform OMNeT++. The generated network is then verified by checking the two parameters L and C. It is found that the characteristic path length L of the small-world network will decrease more rapidly with a higher initial number of connections. The small-world model also provides an insight to the internal structure of such network. The model shows that in the network of 1000 nodes with the initial connections of 4, there exist only 4 highest connected nodes (hotspots). The small-world network model can be very useful for investigating various network dynamics.