  A methodology is developed for data analysis based on empirically constructed
geodesic metric spaces. For a probability distribution, the length along a path
between two points can be defined as the amount of probability mass accumulated
along the path. The geodesic, then, is the shortest such path and defines a
geodesic metric. Such metrics are transformed in a number of ways to produce
parametrised families of geodesic metric spaces, empirical versions of which
allow computation of intrinsic means and associated measures of dispersion.
These reveal properties of the data, based on geometry, such as those that are
difficult to see from the raw Euclidean distances. Examples of application
include clustering and classification. For certain parameter ranges, the spaces
become CAT(0) spaces and the intrinsic means are unique. In one case, a minimal
spanning tree of a graph based on the data becomes CAT(0). In another, a
so-called "metric cone" construction allows extension to CAT($k$) spaces. It is
shown how to empirically tune the parameters of the metrics, making it possible
to apply them to a number of real cases.
