Targeted projection pursuit is a type of statistical technique used for
exploratory data analysis,
information visualization, and
feature selection. It allows the user to interactively explore very complex data (typically having tens to hundreds of attributes) to find features or patterns of potential interest.
Conventional, or 'blind',
projection pursuit Projection pursuit (PP) is a type of statistical technique which involves finding the most "interesting" possible projections in multidimensional data. Often, projections which deviate more from a normal distribution are considered to be more inter ...
, finds the most "interesting" possible projections in multidimensional data, using a
search algorithm that optimizes some fixed criterion of "interestingness" – such as deviation from a
normal distribution. In contrast, targeted projection pursuit allows the user to explore the space of projections by manipulating data points directly in an interactive
scatter plot
A scatter plot (also called a scatterplot, scatter graph, scatter chart, scattergram, or scatter diagram) is a type of plot or mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for typically two variables for a set of data. ...
.
Targeted projection pursuit has found applications in
DNA microarray
A DNA microarray (also commonly known as DNA chip or biochip) is a collection of microscopic DNA spots attached to a solid surface. Scientists use DNA microarrays to measure the expression levels of large numbers of genes simultaneously or to ...
data analysis, protein
sequence analysis,
graph layout and
digital signal processing
Digital signal processing (DSP) is the use of digital processing, such as by computers or more specialized digital signal processors, to perform a wide variety of signal processing operations. The digital signals processed in this manner are ...
. It is available as a package for the
WEKA machine learning toolkit.
References
Further reading
* Joe Faith (2007
"Targeted Projection Pursuit for Interactive Exploration of High-Dimensional Data Sets" ''Proceedings of 11th International Conference on Information Visualisation''
External links
imDEVfree Excel add-in for targeted projection pursuits using feature selection coupled with PLS and PLS-DA
Targeted Projection Pursuit project page
Statistical charts and diagrams
{{Statistics-stub