Keywords: topological data analysis, TDA, Mapper, voting districts
The Mapper algorithm (Singh et al 2007) from topological data analysis (TDA) provides a method for obtaining clusters that are not found using traditional clustering techniques. For example, Nicolau et al. 2011 use it to identify a subgroup of breast cancer patients that universally respond to a specific form of treatment. In this talk we will describe the algorithm and its benefits, and we will present some results on the application on Mapper to voting district data. From here we will briefly discuss what information this might give about the possibility of a district being Gerrymandered.