The matrices of spanning rooted forests are studied as a tool for analysing
the structure of networks and measuring their properties. The problems of
revealing the basic bicomponents, measuring vertex proximity, and ranking from
preference relations / sports competitions are considered. It is shown that the
vertex accessibility measure based on spanning forests has a number of
desirable properties. An interpretation for the stochastic matrix of
out-forests in terms of information dissemination is given.Comment: 8 pages. This article draws heavily from arXiv:math/0508171.
Published in Proceedings of the First International Conference on Information
Technology and Quantitative Management (ITQM 2013). This version contains
some corrections and addition