Statistical Modeling Using Bayesian Latent Gaussian Models

This book focuses on the statistical modeling of geophysical and environmental data using Bayesian latent Gaussian models. The structure of these models is described in a thorough introductory chapter, which explains how to construct prior densities for the model parameters, how to infer the parameters using Bayesian computation, and how to use the models to make predictions. The remaining six chapters focus on the application of Bayesian latent Gaussian models to real examples in glaciology, hydrology, engineering seismology, seismology, meteorology and climatology. These examples include: spatial predictions of surface mass balance; the estimation of Antarctica’s contribution to sea-level rise; the estimation of rating curves for the projection of water level to discharge; ground motion models for strong motion; spatial modeling of earthquake magnitudes; weather forecasting based on numerical model forecasts; and extreme value analysis of precipitation on a high-dimensional grid. The book is aimed at graduate students and experts in statistics, geophysics, environmental sciences, engineering, and related fields.

Selected from the conference "S.Co.2009: Complex Data Modeling and Computationally Intensive Methods for Estimation and Prediction," these 20 papers cover the latest in statistical methods and computational techniques for complex and high dimensional datasets.

INLA stands for Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations, which is a new method for fitting a broad class of Bayesian regression models. No samples of the posterior marginal distributions need to be drawn using INLA, so it is a computationally convenient alternative to Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), the standard tool for Bayesian inference. Bayesian Regression Modeling with INLA covers a wide range of modern regression models and focuses on the INLA technique for building Bayesian models using real-world data and assessing their validity. A key theme throughout the book is that it makes sense to demonstrate the interplay of theory and practice with reproducible studies. Complete R commands are provided for each example, and a supporting website holds all of the data described in the book. An R package including the data and additional functions in the book is available to download. The book is aimed at readers who have a basic knowledge of statistical theory and Bayesian methodology. It gets readers up to date on the latest in Bayesian inference using INLA and prepares them for sophisticated, real-world work. Xiaofeng Wang is Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and a Full Staff in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at Cleveland Clinic. Yu Ryan Yue is Associate Professor of Statistics in the Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics at Baruch College, The City University of New York. Julian J. Faraway is Professor of Statistics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Bath.

This textbook on statistical modeling and statistical inference will assist advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Statistical Modeling and Computation provides a unique introduction to modern Statistics from both classical and Bayesian perspectives. It also offers an integrated treatment of Mathematical Statistics and modern statistical computation, emphasizing statistical modeling, computational techniques, and applications. Each of the three parts will cover topics essential to university courses. Part I covers the fundamentals of probability theory. In Part II, the authors introduce a wide variety of classical models that include, among others, linear regression and ANOVA models. In Part III, the authors address the statistical analysis and computation of various advanced models, such as generalized linear, state-space and Gaussian models. Particular attention is paid to fast Monte Carlo techniques for Bayesian inference on these models. Throughout the book the authors include a large number of illustrative examples and solved problems. The book also features a section with solutions, an appendix that serves as a MATLAB primer, and a mathematical supplement.​

The contributions collected in this book have been written by well-known statisticians to acknowledge Ludwig Fahrmeir's far-reaching impact on Statistics as a science, while celebrating his 65th birthday. The contributions cover broad areas of contemporary statistical model building, including semiparametric and geoadditive regression, Bayesian inference in complex regression models, time series modelling, statistical regularization, graphical models and stochastic volatility models.

This book provides a highly practical introduction to Bayesian statistical modeling with Stan, which has become the most popular probabilistic programming language. The book is divided into four parts. The first part reviews the theoretical background of modeling and Bayesian inference and presents a modeling workflow that makes modeling more engineering than art. The second part discusses the use of Stan, CmdStanR, and CmdStanPy from the very beginning to basic regression analyses. The third part then introduces a number of probability distributions, nonlinear models, and hierarchical (multilevel) models, which are essential to mastering statistical modeling. It also describes a wide range of frequently used modeling techniques, such as censoring, outliers, missing data, speed-up, and parameter constraints, and discusses how to lead convergence of MCMC. Lastly, the fourth part examines advanced topics for real-world data: longitudinal data analysis, state space models, spatial data analysis, Gaussian processes, Bayesian optimization, dimensionality reduction, model selection, and information criteria, demonstrating that Stan can solve any one of these problems in as little as 30 lines. Using numerous easy-to-understand examples, the book explains key concepts, which continue to be useful when using future versions of Stan and when using other statistical modeling tools. The examples do not require domain knowledge and can be generalized to many fields. The book presents full explanations of code and math formulas, enabling readers to extend models for their own problems. All the code and data are on GitHub.

Unleash the power and flexibility of the Bayesian framework About This Book Simplify the Bayes process for solving complex statistical problems using Python; Tutorial guide that will take the you through the journey of Bayesian analysis with the help of sample problems and practice exercises; Learn how and when to use Bayesian analysis in your applications with this guide. Who This Book Is For Students, researchers and data scientists who wish to learn Bayesian data analysis with Python and implement probabilistic models in their day to day projects. Programming experience with Python is essential. No previous statistical knowledge is assumed. What You Will Learn Understand the essentials Bayesian concepts from a practical point of view Learn how to build probabilistic models using the Python library PyMC3 Acquire the skills to sanity-check your models and modify them if necessary Add structure to your models and get the advantages of hierarchical models Find out how different models can be used to answer different data analysis questions When in doubt, learn to choose between alternative models. Predict continuous target outcomes using regression analysis or assign classes using logistic and softmax regression. Learn how to think probabilistically and unleash the power and flexibility of the Bayesian framework In Detail The purpose of this book is to teach the main concepts of Bayesian data analysis. We will learn how to effectively use PyMC3, a Python library for probabilistic programming, to perform Bayesian parameter estimation, to check models and validate them. This book begins presenting the key concepts of the Bayesian framework and the main advantages of this approach from a practical point of view. Moving on, we will explore the power and flexibility of generalized linear models and how to adapt them to a wide array of problems, including regression and classification. We will also look into mixture models and clustering data, and we will finish with advanced topics like non-parametrics models and Gaussian processes. With the help of Python and PyMC3 you will learn to implement, check and expand Bayesian models to solve data analysis problems. Style and approach Bayes algorithms are widely used in statistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data mining. This will be a practical guide allowing the readers to use Bayesian methods for statistical modelling and analysis using Python.

Graphical models in their modern form have been around since the late 1970s and appear today in many areas of the sciences. Along with the ongoing developments of graphical models, a number of different graphical modeling software programs have been written over the years. In recent years many of these software developments have taken place within the R community, either in the form of new packages or by providing an R interface to existing software. This book attempts to give the reader a gentle introduction to graphical modeling using R and the main features of some of these packages. In addition, the book provides examples of how more advanced aspects of graphical modeling can be represented and handled within R. Topics covered in the seven chapters include graphical models for contingency tables, Gaussian and mixed graphical models, Bayesian networks and modeling high dimensional data.