Problems and methods of network control

Abstract

Control of network systems, or network control, is a rapidly developing field of modern automated control theory. Network control is characterized by a combination of the classical control theory toolbox (linear systems, nonlinear control, robust control and so on) and conceptually new mathematical ideas that come primarily from graph theory. Methods of network control let one solve analysis and synthesis problems for complex systems that arise in physics, biology, economics, sociology, and engineering sciences. In this survey, we present the main fields of application for modern theory of network control and formulate its key results obtained over the last decade.