Mercator: a pipeline for multi-method, unsupervised visualization and distance generation.
other · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33515233.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab037 and PMC identifier 8428582.
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Abstract
Unsupervised machine learning provides tools for researchers to uncover latent patterns in large-scale data, based on calculated distances between observations. Methods to visualize high-dimensional data based on these distances can elucidate subtypes and interactions within multi-dimensional and high-throughput data. However, researchers can select from a vast number of distance metrics and visualizations, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The Mercator R package facilitates selection of a biologically meaningful distance from 10 metrics, together appropriate for binary, categorical and continuous data, and visualization with 5 standard and high-dimensional graphics tools. Mercator provides a user-friendly pipeline for informaticians or biologists to perform unsupervised analyses, from exploratory pattern recognition to production of publication-quality graphics. Mercator is freely available at the Comprehensive R Archive Network (https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/Mercator/index.html).