Abstract
We consider general strategy for hierarchical multidimensional interpolation based on sparse grids, where the interpolation nodes and locally supported basis functions are constructed from tensors of a one dimensional hierarchical rule. We consider four different hierarchies that are tailored towards general functions, high or low order polynomial approximation, or functions that satisfy homogeneous boundary conditions. The main advantage of the locally supported basis is the ability to choose a set of functions based on the observed behavior of the target function. We present an alternative to the classical surplus refinement techniques, where we exploit local anisotropy and refine using functions with not strictly decreasing support. The more flexible refinement strategy improves stability and reduces the total number of expensive simulations, resulting in significant computational saving. We demonstrate the advantages of the different hierarchies and refinement techniques by application to series of simple functions as well as a system of ordinary differential equations given by the Kermack-McKendrick SIR model.
