Circular Rank Distance: A New Approach for Genomic Applications

The Rank Distance is a relatively new metric being used in genomic applications that has good potential, excellent computational properties and known limitations. This paper proposes a refinement to the standard Rank Distance in order to overcome some principal limitations of the metric for genetic applications. The paper first gives an introduction into the main concepts of the Rank Distance, then it explores its weaknesses for genetic applications. A new concept, the Circular Rank Distance, is proposed to address these weaknesses, and its properties, advantages and computational complexity are analyzed. The Circular Rank Distance is experimentally verified by being used to create a plausible phylogenetic tree. The paper ends with suggestions for further research.