Topological characterization of haze episodes using persistent homology

Abstract

Haze is one of the major environmental issues that have continuously vexed countries worldwide, including Malaysia, for the last three decades. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the differences between the topological features of months with and those without haze episodes observed at air quality monitoring stations located in the areas of Jerantut, Klang, Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam. We employ persistent homology, which is a method of topological data analysis (TDA) that focuses on connected components and holes in the data, to characterize the local particulate matter (PM10). The summary statistics reveal drastic changes in the lifetimes of the topological data from every station during haze episodes, highlighting the possibility of developing an early detection system for haze based on our approach.