Pruned labeling algorithms: fast, exact, dynamic, simple and general indexing scheme for shortest-path queries

Shortest-paths and distances are two of the most fundamental notions for pairs of nodes on a network, and thus they play an important role in a wide range of applications such as network analysis and network-aware search. In this talk, I will introduce our indexing method for efficiently answering shortest-paths, referred to as pruned landmark labeling (SIGMOD'13). In spite of its simplicity, it significantly outperforms previous indexing methods in both scalability and query time. Moreover, interestingly, it turned out that the algorithm automatically exploits the common structures of real networks. We also briefly mention its variants: pruned path labeling (CIKM'13), pruned highway labeling (ALENEX'14) and historical pruned landmark labeling (WWW'14).