Flexible Bivariate INAR(1) Processes Using Copulas

Multivariate count time series data occur in many different disciplines. The class of INteger-valued AutoRegressive (INAR) processes has the great advantage to consider explicitly both the discreteness and autocorrelation characterizing this type of data. Moreover, extensions of the simple INAR(1) model to the multi-dimensional space make it possible to model more than one series simultaneously. However, existing models do not offer great flexibility for dependence modelling, allowing only for positive correlation. In this work, we consider a bivariate INAR(1) (BINAR(1)) process where cross-correlation is introduced through the use of copulas for the specification of the joint distribution of the innovations. We mainly emphasize on the parametric case that arises under the assumption of Poisson marginals. Other marginal distributions are also considered. A short application on a bivariate financial count series illustrates the model.     

Serial dependence and regression of Poisson INARMA models

Time series of counts occur in many fields of practice, with the Poisson distribution as a popular choice for the marginal process distribution. A great variety of serial dependence structures of stationary count processes can be modelled by the INARMA family. In this article, we propose a new approach to the INMA(q) family in general, including previously known results as special cases. In the particular case of Poisson marginals, we will derive new results concerning regression properties and the serial dependence structure of INAR(1) and INMA(q) models. Finally, we present explicit expressions for the distribution of jumps in such processes.     

Modelling of low count heavy tailed time series data consisting large number of zeros and ones

In this paper, we construct a new mixture of geometric INAR(1) process for modeling over-dispersed count time series data, in particular data consisting of large number of zeros and ones. For some real data sets, the existing INAR(1) processes do not fit well, e.g., the geometric INAR(1) process overestimates the number of zero observations and underestimates the one observations, whereas Poisson INAR(1) process underestimates the zero observations and overestimates the one observations. Furthermore, for heavy tails, the PINAR(1) process performs poorly in the tail part. The existing zero-inflated Poisson INAR(1) and compound Poisson INAR(1) processes have the same kind of limitations. In order to remove this problem of under-fitting at one point and over-fitting at others points, we add some extra probability at one in the geometric INAR(1) process and build a new mixture of geometric INAR(1) process. Surprisingly, for some real data sets, it removes the problem of under and over-fitting over all the observations up to a significant extent. We then study the stationarity and ergodicity of the proposed process. Different methods of parameter estimation, namely the Yule-Walker and the quasi-maximum likelihood estimation procedures are discussed and illustrated using some simulation experiments. Furthermore, we discuss the future prediction along with some different forecasting accuracy measures. Two real data sets are analyzed to illustrate the effective use of the proposed model.     

Detecting mean increases in Poisson INAR(1) processes with EWMA control charts

Processes of serially dependent Poisson counts are commonly observed in real-world applications and can often be modeled by the first-order integer-valued autoregressive (INAR) model. For detecting positive shifts in the mean of a Poisson INAR(1) process, we propose the one-sided s exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart, which is based on a new type of rounding operation. The s-EWMA chart allows computing average run length (ARLs) exactly and efficiently with a Markov chain approach. Using an implementation of this procedure for ARL computation, the s-EWMA chart is easily designed, which is demonstrated with a real-data example. Based on an extensive study of ARLs, the out-of-control performance of the chart is analyzed and compared with that of a c chart and a one-sided cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart. We also investigate the robustness of the chart against departures from the assumed Poisson marginal distribution.     

On Fisher’s dispersion test for integer-valued autoregressive Poisson models with applications

The integer-valued autoregressive (INAR) model has been widely used in diverse fields. Since the task of identifying the underlying distribution of time-series models is a crucial step for further inferences, we consider the goodness-of-fit test for the Poisson assumption on first-order INAR models. For a test, we employ Fisher’s dispersion test due to its simplicity and then derive its null limiting distribution. As an illustration, a simulation study and real data analysis are conducted for the counts of coal mining disasters, the monthly crime data set from New South Wales, and the annual numbers of worldwide earthquakes.     

Simultaneous confidence regions for the parameters of a Poisson INAR(1) model

The INAR(1) model (integer-valued autoregressive) is commonly used to model serially dependent processes of Poisson counts. We propose several asymptotic simultaneous confidence regions for the two parameters of a Poisson INAR(1) model, and investigate their performance and robustness for finite-length time series in a simulation study. Practical recommendations are derived, and the application of the confidence regions is illustrated by a real-data example.     

Estimating monotonic change in the rate and dependence parameters of INAR(1) process (Case study: IP counts data)

In this article, we consider a first-order integer-valued autoregressive (INAR(1)) model. Then, we propose change point estimators for the rate and dependence parameters in INAR(1) model using maximum likelihood estimation method when the type of change belongs to a family of monotonic changes. To monitor the process, a combined EWMA and c control chart is considered. The results show that the proposed change point estimators provide efficient estimates of the change time. At the end, to illustrate the application of the proposed estimators, a real case related to IP counts data is investigated.     

Improved estimation for Poisson INAR(1) models

We consider the first-order Poisson autoregressive model proposed by McKenzie [Some simple models for discrete variate time series. Water Resour Bull. 1985;21:645–650] and Al-Osh and Alzaid [First-order integer valued autoregressive (INAR(1)) process. J Time Ser Anal. 1987;8:261–275], which may be suitable in situations where the time series data are non-negative and integer valued. We derive the second-order bias of the squared difference estimator [Weiß. Process capability analysis for serially dependent processes of Poisson counts. J Stat Comput Simul. 2012;82:383–404] for one of the parameters and show that this bias can be used to define a bias-reduced estimator. The behaviour of a modified conditional least-squares estimator is also studied. Furthermore, we access the asymptotic properties of the estimators here discussed. We present numerical evidence, based upon Monte Carlo simulation studies, showing that the here proposed bias-adjusted estimator outperforms the other estimators in small samples. We also present an application to a real data set.     

On first-order integer-valued autoregressive process with Katz family innovations

This paper considers the first-order integer-valued autoregressive (INAR) process with Katz family innovations. This family of INAR processes includes a broad class of INAR(1) processes with Poisson, negative binomial, and binomial innovations, respectively, featuring equi-, over-, and under-dispersion. Its probabilistic properties such as ergodicity and stationarity are investigated and the formula of the marginal mean and variance is provided. Further, a statistical process control procedure based on the cumulative sum control chart is considered to monitor autocorrelated count processes. A simulation and real data analysis are conducted for illustration.     

A new geometric INAR(1) process based on counting series with deflation or inflation of zeros

In this paper, we introduce a new non-negative integer-valued autoregressive time series model based on a new thinning operator, so called generalized zero-modified geometric (GZMG) thinning operator. The first part of the paper is devoted to the distribution, GZMG distribution, which is obtained as the convolution of the zero-modified geometric (ZMG) distributed random variables. Some properties of this distribution are derived. Then, we construct a thinning operator based on the counting processes with ZMG distribution. Finally, an INAR(1) time series model is introduced and its properties including estimation issues are derived and discussed. A small Monte Carlo experiment is conducted to evaluate the performance of maximum likelihood estimators in finite samples. At the end of the paper, we consider an empirical illustration of the introduced INAR(1) model.     

True integer value time series

We construct an integer-valued stationary symmetric AR(1) process which can have either a positive or a negative lag-one autocorrelation. Nearly all integer-valued time series models are designed for observations which are non-negative integers or counts. They have innovations which are distributed on the non-negative integers and therefore obviously non-symmetric. We build our model using innovations that come from the difference of two independent identically distributed Poisson random variables. These innovations have a symmetric distribution, which has many advantages; in particular, they will allow us to model negative correlations. For our AR(1) process, we examine its basic properties and consider estimation via conditional least squares.     

A new generation of process capability indices

In quality control, we may confront imprecise concepts. One case is a situation in which upper and lower specification limits (SLs) are imprecise. If we introduce vagueness into SLs, we face quite new, reasonable and interesting processes, and the ordinary capability indices are not appropriate for measuring the capability of these processes. In this paper, similar to the traditional process capability indices (PCIs), we develop a fuzzy analogue by a distance defined on a fuzzy limit space and introduce PCIs, where instead of precise SLs we have two membership functions for upper and lower SLs. These indices are necessary when SLs are fuzzy, and they are helpful for comparing manufacturing process with fuzzy SLs. Some interesting relations among these introduced indices are proved. Numerical examples are given to clarify the method.     

Parameter estimation for binomial AR(1) models with applications in finance and industry

Methods for analyzing and modeling count data time series are used in various fields of practice, and they are particularly relevant for applications in finance and economy. We consider the binomial autoregressive (AR(1)) model for count data processes with a first-order AR dependence structure and a binomial marginal distribution. We present four approaches for estimating its model parameters based on given time series data, and we derive expressions for the asymptotic distribution of these estimators. Then we investigate the finite-sample performance of the estimators and of the respective asymptotic approximations in a simulation study, including a discussion of the 2-block jackknife. We illustrate our methods and findings with a real-data example about transactions at the Korea stock market. We conclude with an application of our results for obtaining reliable estimates for process capability indices.     

Integer-valued autoregressive models for counts showing underdispersion

The Poisson distribution is a simple and popular model for count-data random variables, but it suffers from the equidispersion requirement, which is often not met in practice. While models for overdispersed counts have been discussed intensively in the literature, the opposite phenomenon, underdispersion, has received only little attention, especially in a time series context. We start with a detailed survey of distribution models allowing for underdispersion, discuss their properties and highlight possible disadvantages. After having identified two model families with attractive properties as well as only two model parameters, we combine these models with the INAR(1) model (integer-valued autoregressive), which is particularly well suited to obtain auotocorrelated counts with underdispersion. Properties of the resulting stationary INAR(1) models and approaches for parameter estimation are considered, as well as possible extensions to higher order autoregressions. Three real-data examples illustrate the application of the models in practice.     

Fully observed INAR(1) processes

The innovations of an INAR(1) process (integer-valued autoregressive) are usually assumed to be unobservable. There are, however, situations in practice, where also the innovations can be uncovered, i.e. where we are concerned with a fully observed INAR(1) process. We analyze stochastic properties of such a fully observed INAR(1) process and explore the relation between the INAR(1) model and certain metapopulation models. We show how the additional knowledge about the innovations can be used for parameter estimation, for model diagnostics, and for forecasting. Our findings are illustrated with two real-data examples.     

Hierarchical overdispersed Poisson model with macrolevel autocorrelation

We review Bayesian analysis of hierarchical non-standard Poisson regression models with an emphasis on microlevel heterogeneity and macrolevel autocorrelation. For the former case, we confirm that negative binomial regression usually accounts for microlevel heterogeneity (overdispersion) satisfactorily; for the latter case, we apply the simple first-order Markov transition model to conveniently capture the macrolevel autocorrelation which often arises from temporal and/or spatial count data, rather than attaching complex random effects directly to the regression parameters. Specifically, we extend the hierarchical (multilevel) Poisson model into negative binomial models with macrolevel autocorrelation using restricted gamma mixture with unit mean and Markov transition covariate created from preceding residuals. We prove a mild sufficient condition for posterior propriety under flat prior for the interesting fixed effects. Our methodology is implemented by analyzing the Baltic sea peracarids diurnal activity data published in the marine biology and ecology literature.     

On the generalized process capability under simple and mixture models

Process capability (PC) indices measure the ability of a process of interest to meet the desired specifications under certain restrictions. There are a variety of capability indices available in literature for different interest variables such as weights, lengths, thickness, and the life time of items among many others. The goal of this article is to study the generalized capability indices from the Bayesian view point under different symmetric and asymmetric loss functions for the simple and mixture of generalized lifetime models. For our study purposes, we have covered a simple and two component mixture of Maxwell distribution as a special case of the generalized class of models. A comparative discussion of the PC with the mixture models under Laplace and inverse Rayleigh are also included. Bayesian point estimation of maintenance performance of the system is also part of the study (considering the Maxwell failure lifetime model and the repair time model). A real-life example is also included to illustrate the procedural details of the proposed method.     

Some asymptotic properties in INAR(1) processes with Poisson marginals

The first-order integer-valued autoregressive (INAR(1)) process with Poisson marginal distributions is considered. It is shown that the sample autocovariance function of the model is asymptotically normally distributed. We derive asymptotic distribution of Yule-Walker type estimators of parameters. It turns out that our Yule-Walker type estimators are better than the conditional least squares estimators proposed by Klimko and Nelson (1978) and Al-Osh and Alzaid (1987). also, we study the relationship between the model andM/M/∞ queueing system.     

Diagnostic checks for integer-valued autoregressive models using expected residuals

Integer-valued time series models make use of thinning operators for coherency in the nature of count data. However, the thinning operators make residuals unobservable and are the main difficulty in developing diagnostic tools for autocorrelated count data. In this regard, we introduce a new residual, which takes the form of predictive distribution functions, to assess probabilistic forecasts, and this new residual is supplemented by a modified usual residuals. Under integer-valued autoregressive (INAR) models, the properties of these two residuals are investigated and used to evaluate the predictive performance and model adequacy of the INAR models. We compare our residuals with the existing residuals through simulation studies and apply our method to select an appropriate INAR model for an over-dispersed real data.     

CAPABILITY MEASURES FOR m-DEPENDENT STATIONARY PROCESSES

Process capability indices, providing numerical measures on process potential and process performance, have received substantial research attention. Most research assumes that the process is normally distributed and the process data are independent. In real-world applications such as chemical, soft drinks, or tobacco/cigaratte manufacturing processes, process data are often auto-correlated. In this paper, we consider the capability indices Cp, Cpk, Cpm, Cpmk for strictly m-dependent stationary processes. We investigate the statistical properties of their natural estimators. We derive the asymptotic distributions, and establish confidence intervals so that capability testing can be performed.