Marcel Duchamp

3 Standard Stoppages
Network of Stoppages
 Geometric and Topological Data Analysis

Geometric Data Geometry of Data

Geometry Regression Clustering

Shape
Processing (space between data) (meaning of data)
Analysis

Persistent Homology
(beyond linear structure)
(beyond simple connectivity)
 Homology
Homology turns topological questions into algebraic questions.

Augment the data points with

edges, triangles, tetrahedra, etc.
!
The kth boundary matrix k maps
k-simplices to the (k-1)-simplices
in their boundary.
!
The kth homology group is the
quotient ker k / im k+1.
!
Homology encodes connected
components, holes, and voids.
 Persistent Homology
time

H0

H1
Barcode
Persistence
Diagram
 Stability

Data set Persistence diagram

close close
Data set Persistence diagram
 Stability
Metric on Metric on
Data sets Persistence diagram s
Lipschitz
Computing Persistent Homology
Input: Boundary Matrix D
Find V, R such that

D = RV
V is upper-triangular
R is reduced (i.e. no two columns
have lowest nonzeros in the same row)

Output is a collection of pairs corresponding

to the lowest nonzeros in R.

Its just Gaussian elimination!

 Nested Dissection
A method for solving symmetric positive definite linear systems.

Ax = b
If A is n x n, consider the n vertex graph with an edge (i,j) for each
nonzero entry A(i, j) of A.
!
Find a vertex separator S such that
- |S| = O(n )

- each connected piece has at most cn vertices (for some c < 1).
!
Repeat. Order the pivots going up from the leaves of the recursion.

The Punchline:
Inverting A can be done in O(n ) time.

Also works for computing ranks of singular,

nonsymmetric matrices over finite fields.
 Reasonable complexes have small separators.

The theory of geometric separators applies to graphs of nice meshes.

!
Separators on graphs can be lifted to separators on complexes.
!
Improves the asymptotic complexity of static homology.
!
Persistence?
 Some open problems.
!
How do we reconcile the filtration
order and the nested dissection order?
!
Is there a quotient version of
nested dissection?
!
Is there a reasonable separator theory
for filtrations?

Thanks.