Calculate how much of a trajectory/path falls in-between two other trajectories

  • This solution implements the code from the OP in a more efficient manner, and does what is asked for, but not what is wanted.
  • While the solution doesn't provide the desired result, after discussion with the OP, we decided to leave this answer, because it helps to clarify the desired outcome.
    • Maybe someone can work from what's provided here, to reach the next step. I'll work on this again later.
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# create a reproducible dataframe
np.random.seed(365)
df_R = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randint(0,100,size=(1000, 36)), columns=df_R_cols)
df_H = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randint(0,100,size=(1000, 72)), columns=df_H_cols)

# create groups of column names: 18 groups
dfh_groups = [df_H.columns[x:x+4] for x in range(0, len(df_H.columns), 4)]
dfr_groups = [df_R.columns[x:x+2] for x in range(0, len(df_R.columns), 2)]

# create empty lists for pandas Series
x_series = list()
z_series = list()
both_series = list()

for i in range(len(dfr_groups)):

    # print the groups
    print(dfr_groups[i])
    print(dfh_groups[i])
    
    # extract the groups of column names
    rx, rz = dfr_groups[i]
    htx, hbx, htz, hbz = dfh_groups[i]
    
    # check if _mean is between _top & _bottom
    x_between = (df_R.loc[:, rx] < df_H.loc[:, htx]) & (df_R.loc[:, rx] > df_H.loc[:, hbx])
    z_between = (df_R.loc[:, rz] < df_H.loc[:, htz]) & (df_R.loc[:, rz] > df_H.loc[:, hbz])
    
    # check if x & z meet the criteria
    both_between = x_between & z_between
    
    # name the pandas Series
    name = rx.split('_')[0]
    x_between.rename(f'{name}_x', inplace=True)
    z_between.rename(f'{name}_z', inplace=True)
    both_between.rename(f'{name}_xz', inplace=True)
    
    # append Series to lists
    x_series.append(x_between)
    z_series.append(z_between)
    both_series.append(both_between)

    # the following section of the loop is only used for visualization
    # it is not necessary, other that for the plots

    # plot
    fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(ncols=2, figsize=(16, 6))
    ax1.plot(df_R.loc[:, rz], df_R.loc[:, rx], label='mid')
    ax1.plot(df_H.loc[:, htz], df_H.loc[:, htx], label='top')
    ax1.plot(df_H.loc[:, hbz], df_H.loc[:, hbx], label='bottom')
    ax1.set_title(f'{name}\nboth: {both_between.mean()}\nx: {x_between.mean()}\nz: {z_between.mean()}')
    ax1.set_xlabel('Z-val')
    ax1.set_ylabel('X-val')
    ax1.legend()
    
    # plot x, z, and mean with respect to the index
    ax2.plot(df_R.index, df_R.loc[:, rx], label='x_mean')
    ax2.plot(df_H.index, df_H.loc[:, htx], label='x_top')
    ax2.plot(df_H.index, df_H.loc[:, hbx], label='x_bot')
    
    ax2.plot(df_R.index, df_R.loc[:, rz], label='z_mean')
    ax2.plot(df_H.index, df_H.loc[:, htz], label='z_top')
    ax2.plot(df_H.index, df_H.loc[:, hbz], label='z_bot')
    
    ax2.set_title('top, bottom and mean plotted with the x-axis as the index')
    ax2.legend()
    plt.show()
    

# concat all the Series into dataframes and set the type to int
df_x_between = pd.concat(x_series, axis=1).astype(int)
df_z_between = pd.concat(z_series, axis=1).astype(int)
df_both_between = pd.concat(both_series, axis=1).astype(int)

# calculate the mean
df_both_between.mean(axis=0).to_frame().T
  • This plot is generated with the real data, which was provided by the OP.
  • The following plot demonstrates why the currently implemented conditions do not work as desired.
    • For example, (val < df_H_top_X.iloc[i,c]) & (val > df_H_bottom_X.iloc[i,c]) from the OP, is implemented above, with x_between.
    • The right plot shows that the specified conditions won't help determine when mid is between top and bottom, as shown in the left plot.

enter image description here


Just a idea

If i understand the discussion right, the problem is that the data was sampled at different points. So you can't just compare the value of each row. And sometimes the buttom line is switched with the top line.

My idea would be now to interpolate the black trajectories at the same x-values as the red trajectorie. My answer concentrates on that idea. I borrowed some code from the previous answers for iterating over the data sets.

    df_H = pd.read_pickle('df_H.pickle')
    df_R = pd.read_pickle('df_R.pickle')
    dfh_groups = [df_H.columns[x:x + 4] for x in range(0, len(df_H.columns), 4)]
    dfr_groups = [df_R.columns[x:x + 2] for x in range(0, len(df_R.columns), 2)]
    df_result = pd.DataFrame(columns=['Percentage'])

    for i in range(len(dfr_groups)):

        label = dfr_groups[i][0].split('_')[0]

        X_R = df_R[dfr_groups[i][0]].to_numpy()
        Y_R = df_R[dfr_groups[i][1]].to_numpy()
        X_H_Top = df_H[dfh_groups[i][0]].to_numpy()
        Y_H_Top = df_H[dfh_groups[i][1]].to_numpy()
        X_H_Bottom = df_H[dfh_groups[i][2]].to_numpy()
        Y_H_Bottom = df_H[dfh_groups[i][3]].to_numpy()

        # Interpolate df_H to match the data points from df_R
        bottom = interpolate.interp1d(X_H_Bottom,Y_H_Bottom)
        top = interpolate.interp1d(X_H_Top,Y_H_Top)

        # Respect the interpolation boundaries, so drop every row not in range from X_H_(Bottom/Top)
        X_H_Bottom = X_R[(X_R > np.amin(X_H_Bottom)) & (X_R < np.amax(X_H_Bottom))]
        X_H_Top = X_R[(X_R > np.amin(X_H_Top)) & (X_R < np.amax(X_H_Top))]
        minimal_X = np.intersect1d(X_H_Bottom, X_H_Top)

        # Calculate the new values an the data points from df_R
        Y_I_Bottom = bottom(minimal_X)
        Y_I_Top = top(minimal_X)

        #Plot
        '''
        plt.plot(X_R, Y_R,'r-',minimal_X, Y_I_Bottom,'k-', minimal_X, Y_I_Top,'k-')
        plt.show()
        '''

        # Count datapoints of df_R within bottom and top
        minimal_x_idx = 0
        nr_points_within = 0
        for i in range(0,len(X_R)):
            if minimal_x_idx >= len(minimal_X):
                break
            elif X_R[i] != minimal_X[minimal_x_idx]:
                continue
            else:
                # Check if datapoint within even if bottom and top changed
                if (Y_R[i] > np.amin(Y_I_Bottom[minimal_x_idx]) and  Y_R[i] < np.amax(Y_I_Top[minimal_x_idx]))\
                        or (Y_R[i] < np.amin(Y_I_Bottom[minimal_x_idx]) and  Y_R[i] > np.amax(Y_I_Top[minimal_x_idx])):
                    nr_points_within += 1
                minimal_x_idx += 1

        # Depends on definition if points outside of interpolation range should be count as outside or be dropped
        percent_within = (nr_points_within * 100) / len(minimal_X)
        df_result.loc[label] = [percent_within]
    print(df_result)

I think and i really hope there are way more elegant ways to implement it especially the for-loop at the end.

I tested on it a few it worked quite well at least at a first glance. For your marked ones i got 71.8%(0,1,3) and 0,8%(2,1,3) that fall within.

I just compared each row after the interpolation. But at this point you could go a step further. For example you could get the spline interpolation coefficients and than calculate the intersections of the trajectories. So you could calculate either the percentage of a projection onto the x-Axis or really the percentage of length of the trajectorie that falls within. Maybe with a nice error estimation. I hoped that helped i little bit.

Little more detailed explaination based on comment

First i renamed your Z-Axis Y in my variables and in the explaination, i hope that's not too confusing. With the scipy function interp1d i do a spline interpolation of the bottom/top trajectories. Basically what that means i model two mathematical function based on the given X/Y values of the bottom and top trajectories. These functions return continuous ouput either for bottom or top. On every X value i get the Y value from the trajectorie even for X values that do not appear in the data. That's done by a so called spline interpolation. Between every X/Y value pair in the data a line is calculated (m * x +t). You can also use the keyword 'cubic' than a second degree polygon (a * x^2 + b * x + c) is calculated. Now with this model i can look, which value the bottom and top trajectories have at the X values given by the red trajectorie.

But this method has its limits that's why i need to drop some values. The interpolation is only defined between the min and the max of the X values given by the dataset. For example if the red trajectorie has smaller minimal X Value x1 than the bottom trajectorie in the dataset, i can not get the corresponding Y Value for x1, because the interpolation of the bottom trajectorie is not defined at x1. Therefor i limit myself to range in which a know every trajectorie in which my interolation is well defined for bottom and top.

PS.: Here my output for the whole dataset:

           Percentage
(0, 1, 1)    3.427419
(0, 1, 2)   76.488396
(0, 1, 3)   71.802618
(0, 2, 1)    6.889564
(0, 2, 2)   16.330645
(0, 2, 3)   59.233098
(1, 1, 1)   13.373860
(1, 1, 2)   45.262097
(1, 1, 3)   91.084093
(1, 2, 1)    0.505051
(1, 2, 2)    1.010101
(1, 2, 3)   41.253792
(2, 1, 1)    4.853387
(2, 1, 2)   12.916246
(2, 1, 3)    0.808081
(2, 2, 1)    0.101112
(2, 2, 2)    0.708502
(2, 2, 3)   88.810484