Min-plus algebraic low rank matrix approximation: a new method for revealing structure in networks

Abstract: In this paper we introduce min-plus low rank matrix approximation. By using min and plus rather than plus and times as the basic operations in the matrix multiplication; min-plus low rank matrix approximation is able to detect characteristically different structures than classical low rank approximation techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We also show how min-plus matrix algebra can be interpreted in terms of shortest paths through graphs, and consequently how min-plus low rank matrix approximation is able to find and express the predominant structure of a network.