拓扑结构特征在3维点云的简化、变形、曲面重建、匹配与检索、形状分析与理解、压缩与传输以及实际应用中具有重要的作用，是3维点云信息的一类关键特征。该文综述了3维点云拓扑结构表征与计算的一些有关概念、方法和技术，评述了点云拓扑结构表征与计算的典型方法及其最新进展，介绍了点云拓扑结构表征及计算的一些实际应用，给出了一些研究结果，并展望了这些问题的发展趋势。

Topological structure plays an important role in simplification, transformation, surface reconstruction, compression and transmission, matching and retrieval, shape analysis and understanding, and applications of point cloud data. It is one class of the key characters of 3D point cloud data. Relevant concepts, methods and techniques of topologically structural representation and computation are surveyed and summarized in this paper. Typical techniques and their latest developments are remarked. Practical applications of topologically structural representation and computation of point cloud data and our some latest results are presented. Our perspectives of these problems and techniques are shown.