Discrete signal processing on graphs: Graph fourier transform

We propose a novel discrete signal processing framework for the representation and analysis of datasets with complex structure. Such datasets arise in many social, economic, biological, and physical networks. Our framework extends traditional discrete signal processing theory to structured datasets by viewing them as signals represented by graphs, so that signal coefficients are indexed by graph nodes and relations between them are represented by weighted graph edges. We discuss the notions of signals and filters on graphs, and define the concepts of the spectrum and Fourier transform for graph signals. We demonstrate their relation to the generalized eigenvector basis of the graph adjacency matrix and study their properties. As a potential application of the graph Fourier transform, we consider the efficient representation of structured data that utilizes the sparseness of graph signals in the frequency domain.