The set of papers in this Handbook reflect the rich theory and wide range of applications of network models. Two of the most vibrant applications areas of network models are telecommunications and transportation. Several chapters explicitly model issues arising in these problem domains. Research on network models has been closely aligned with the field of computer science both in developing data structures for efficiently implementing network algorithms and in analyzing the complexity of network problems and algorithms. The basic structure underlying all network problems is a graph. Thus, historically, there have been strong ties between network models and graph theory.
A companion volume in the Handbook series, entitled Network Routing, examines problems related to the movement of commodities over a network. The problems treated arise in several application areas including logistics, telecommunications, facility location, VLSI design, and economics.