Top-K Anomalous UAVs | Dataford Interview Questions

Given a list of sensor readings from multiple UAVs, return the top k devices with the highest anomaly scores.

Implement top_k_anomalous_devices(readings, k). Each reading is a dictionary with a unique string device_id and numeric anomaly_score. Return the device IDs ordered from highest score to lowest; ties may appear in any order. Use an algorithm better than sorting the entire input when k is much smaller than the number of readings.

Constraints

1 <= len(readings) <= 1000
1 <= k <= len(readings)
Each device_id is a unique non-empty string
Each anomaly_score is an integer or floating-point number
If scores are tied, any ordering among tied devices is valid

Function Signature

def top_k_anomalous_devices(readings, k):

Your question is Top-K Anomalous UAVs. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

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Problem

Given a list of sensor readings from multiple UAVs, return the top k devices with the highest anomaly scores.

Constraints

1 <= len(readings) <= 1000
1 <= k <= len(readings)
Each device_id is a unique non-empty string
Each anomaly_score is an integer or floating-point number
If scores are tied, any ordering among tied devices is valid

Function Signature

def top_k_anomalous_devices(readings, k):

Your question is Top-K Anomalous UAVs. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.