Robust Network Topology Inference and Processing of Graph Signals

TL;DR

This paper advances graph signal processing by developing robust algorithms that jointly address perturbations in both graph topology and signals, improving the reliability of processing large, complex systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework for robust GSP that accounts for perturbations in graph support and signals, a relatively unexplored area in the field.

Findings

Analyzes the impact of perturbations on GSP tasks

Designs algorithms to mitigate perturbation effects

Demonstrates improved robustness in complex systems

Abstract

The abundance of large and heterogeneous systems is rendering contemporary data more pervasive, intricate, and with a non-regular structure. With classical techniques facing troubles to deal with the irregular (non-Euclidean) domain where the signals are defined, a popular approach at the heart of graph signal processing (GSP) is to: (i) represent the underlying support via a graph and (ii) exploit the topology of this graph to process the signals at hand. In addition to the irregular structure of the signals, another critical limitation is that the observed data is prone to the presence of perturbations, which, in the context of GSP, may affect not only the observed signals but also the topology of the supporting graph. Ignoring the presence of perturbations, along with the couplings between the errors in the signal and the errors in their support, can drastically hinder estimation performance. While many GSP works have looked at the presence of perturbations in the signals, much fewer have looked at the presence of perturbations in the graph, and almost none at their joint effect. While this is not surprising (GSP is a relatively new field), we expect this to change in the upcoming years. Motivated by the previous discussion, the goal of this thesis is to advance toward a robust GSP paradigm where the algorithms are carefully designed to incorporate the influence of perturbations in the graph signals, the graph support, and both. To do so, we consider different types of perturbations, evaluate their disruptive impact on fundamental GSP tasks, and design robust algorithms to address them.