Application of topological data analysis to multi-resolution matching of aerosol optical depth maps
Conference
Format: IPS Abstract
Keywords: aerosol_optical_depth, comparison_of_spatial_patterns, topological_data_analysis
Session: Invited Session 2B - Advances in environmental studies using topological data analysis
Monday 2 December 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. (Australia/Adelaide)
Abstract
Topological data analysis (TDA) combines concepts from algebraic topology, machine learning, statistics, and data science which allow us to study data in terms of their latent shape properties. Despite the TDA in a broad range of applications, from neuroscience to power systems to finance, the utility of TDA in the Earth Science applications is yet untapped. The current study aims to offer a new direction to analyze multi-resolution Earth science data using the concept of data shape and the associated intrinsic topological data characteristics. In particular, we develop a new topological approach to quantitatively compare two maps at different spatial resolutions. We illustrate the proposed new methodology in application to the aerosol optical depth (AOD) datasets from the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) model over the Middle East. Our results show that contrary to the existing approaches, TDA allows for systematic and reliable comparison of spatial patterns from various observational and model datasets without regridding the datasets into common grids.