SheafIQ: Sheaf-Theoretic Information Quantification of Vector Fields on Geometric Graphs

Abstract

Vector fields on graph structures naturally arise in diverse biological and engineered systems, where vector-valued states are defined on the nodes and evolve through the network interactions. Existing methods primarily characterize either the graph topology or individual signals, but generally do not quantify how local interactions among node-associated vectors are organized across the graph. To address this limitation, a sheaf-theoretic framework, termed SheafIQ, is proposed to represent neighboring vectors in a common edge-associated coordinate system, map local incompatibilities to a residual energy distribution, and quantify its global organization through entropy. Across proteins, functional brain networks, urban traffic systems, and power grids, SheafIQ consistently reveals complementary organizational information beyond conventional graph- and signal-based descriptors. More broadly, it establishes a unified information-theoretic framework for quantifying the organization of vector-valued states on geometric graphs, extending network analysis beyond graph topology alone.