Statistical learning algorithms for topological and geometric data analysis
Thomas Bonis · 2016
In this thesis, we study data analysis algorithms using random walks on neighborhood graphs, or random geometric graphs. It is known random walks on such graphs approximate continuous objects called diffusion processes. In the first part of this thesis, we use this approximation result to propose a new soft clustering algorithm based on the mode seeking framework. For our algorithm, we want to define clusters using the properties of a diffusion process. Since we do not have access to this continuous process, our algorithm uses a random walk on a random geometric graph instead. After proving the consistency of our algorithm, we evaluate its efficiency on both real and synthetic data. We then deal tackle the issue of the convergence of invariant measures of random walks on random geometric graphs. As these random walks converge to a diffusion process, we can expect their invariant measures to converge to the invariant measure of this diffusion process. Using an approach based on Stein's method, we manage to obtain quantitfy this convergence. Moreover, the method we use is more general and can be used to obtain other results such as convergence rates for the Central Limit Theorem. In the last part of this thesis, we use the concept of persistent homology, a concept of algebraic topology, to improve the pooling step of the bag-of-words approach for 3D shapes.