Understanding Merge Trees with Force-Directed Landscapes

International audienceTopological methods for data analysis have proven to be useful in multiple contexts ranging from exploring molecular surfaces to understanding cyclones. While abstract topological representations are powerful, they are still yet to gain widespread popularity, because their interpretation requires background in algebraic topology and Morse theory. To this extent, multiple attempts have been made to provide user interfaces that convey topological information in an intuitive manner. In this work, we aim at improving the understanding of a topological abstraction called merge tree