Developments and Applications of Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis – a Review

Although linear principal component analysis (PCA) originates from the work of Sylvester [67] and Pearson [51], the development of nonlinear counterparts has only received attention from the 1980s. Work on nonlinear PCA, or NLPCA, can be divided into the utilization of autoassociative neural networks, principal curves and manifolds, kernel approaches or the combination of these approaches. This article reviews existing algorithmic work, shows how a given data set can be examined to determine whether a conceptually more demanding NLPCA model is required and lists developments of NLPCA algorithms. Finally, the paper outlines problem areas and challenges that require future work to mature the NLPCA research field.