Structured low-rank approximation with missing data

We consider low-rank approximation of affinely structured matrices with missing elements. The method proposed is based on reformulation of the problem as inner and outer optimization. The inner minimization is a singular linear least-norm problem and admits an analytic solution. The outer problem is a nonlinear least squares problem and is solved by local optimization methods: minimization subject to quadratic equality constraints and unconstrained minimization with regularized cost function. The method is generalized to weighted low-rank approximation with missing values and is illustrated on approximate low-rank matrix completion, system identification, and data-driven simulation problems. An extended version of the paper is a literate program, implementing the method and reproducing the presented results.