Switching Network System Identification via Convex Optimizations

Abstract: This paper introduces a convex optimization framework for identifying switched network systems, in which both the node dynamics and the underlying graph topology switch between a finite number of configurations. Building on our recent convex identification method for general switching systems, we extend the formulation to structured network systems where each mode corresponds to a distinct adjacency matrix. We show that both the continuous node dynamics and binary network topologies can be identified from sampled state-velocity data by solving a sequence of convex programs. The proposed framework provides a unified and scalable way to recover piecewise network structures from data without a prior knowledge of mode labels at each state. Numerical results on diffusively coupled oscillators demonstrate accurate recovery of both mode dynamics and switching graphs.