Scalar field analysis over point cloud data (Q650107)

Given a real-valued function \(f\) defined over some metric space, the authors explain how it is possible to recover some structural information about \(f\) from the sole information of its values at a finite set \(L\) of sample points, whose locations are only known through their pairwise distances in the metric space. The authors use techniques and constructions coming from the field of persistence homology. A new construction is introduced, based on a pair of nested families of simplicial complexes built on top of the point cloud \(L\), from which the persistence diagram of \(f\) can be faithfully approximated. The authors present some experimental results obtained in various applications, ranging from clustering to sensor networks.