A new geometric approach to data analysis using the Minkowski polytope. (Q1566633)

We introduce a new approach to the analysis of random samples in R\(^{d}\), based on a geometric transformation called the ``Minkowski polytope'' (MP). We describe how a theorem by Minkowski guarantees the existence and uniqueness of such a transformation, discuss its construction, and state a result about the almost sure convergence of a scaled version of the MP in R\(^{2}\). We show how the shape of the MP is sensitive to the presence of outliers and correlation in the sample. Finally, we use the MP to develop a new Monte Carlo test for spatial randomness over non-uniform populations, and illustrate its application on a well-known dataset of leukemia cases in the state of New York.