Exact Matrix Seriation through Mathematical Optimization: Stress and Effectiveness-Based Models

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Blanco, Víctor, Marín, Alfredo, Puerto, Justo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Blanco, Víctor
Marín, Alfredo
Puerto, Justo
author_facet Blanco, Víctor
Marín, Alfredo
Puerto, Justo
contents Matrix seriation, the problem of permuting the rows and columns of a matrix to uncover latent structure, is a fundamental technique in data science, particularly in the visualization and analysis of relational data. Applications span clustering, anomaly detection, and beyond. In this work, we present a unified framework grounded in mathematical optimization to address matrix seriation from a rigorous, model-based perspective. Our approach leverages combinatorial and mixed-integer optimization to represent seriation objectives and constraints with high fidelity, bridging the gap between traditional heuristic methods and exact solution techniques. We introduce new mathematical programming models for neighborhood-based stress criteria, including nonlinear formulations and their linearized counterparts. For structured settings such as Moore and von Neumann neighborhoods, we develop a novel Hamiltonian path-based reformulation that enables effective control over spatial arrangement and interpretability in the reordered matrix. To assess the practical impact of our models, we carry out an extensive set of experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets, as well as on a newly curated benchmark based on a coauthorship network from the matrix seriation literature. Our results show that these optimization-based formulations not only enhance solution quality and interpretability but also provide a versatile foundation for extending matrix seriation to new domains in data science.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_19821
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exact Matrix Seriation through Mathematical Optimization: Stress and Effectiveness-Based Models
Blanco, Víctor
Marín, Alfredo
Puerto, Justo
Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
Matrix seriation, the problem of permuting the rows and columns of a matrix to uncover latent structure, is a fundamental technique in data science, particularly in the visualization and analysis of relational data. Applications span clustering, anomaly detection, and beyond. In this work, we present a unified framework grounded in mathematical optimization to address matrix seriation from a rigorous, model-based perspective. Our approach leverages combinatorial and mixed-integer optimization to represent seriation objectives and constraints with high fidelity, bridging the gap between traditional heuristic methods and exact solution techniques. We introduce new mathematical programming models for neighborhood-based stress criteria, including nonlinear formulations and their linearized counterparts. For structured settings such as Moore and von Neumann neighborhoods, we develop a novel Hamiltonian path-based reformulation that enables effective control over spatial arrangement and interpretability in the reordered matrix. To assess the practical impact of our models, we carry out an extensive set of experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets, as well as on a newly curated benchmark based on a coauthorship network from the matrix seriation literature. Our results show that these optimization-based formulations not only enhance solution quality and interpretability but also provide a versatile foundation for extending matrix seriation to new domains in data science.
title Exact Matrix Seriation through Mathematical Optimization: Stress and Effectiveness-Based Models
topic Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19821