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Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) allows for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models by combining MCMC and particle filtering. The latter is used to estimate the intractable likelihood. In its original formulation, PMH makes use of a marginal MCMC proposal for the parameters, typically a Gaussian random walk. However, this can lead to a poor exploration of the parameter space and an inefficient use of the generated particles. We propose two alternative versions of PMH that incorporate gradient and Hessian information about the posterior into the proposal. This information is more or less obtained as a byproduct of the likelihood estimation. Indeed, we show how to estimate the required information using a fixed-lag particle smoother, with a computational cost growing linearly in the number of particles. We conclude that the proposed methods can: (i) decrease the length of the burn-in phase, (ii) increase the mixing of the Markov chain at the stationary phase, and (iii) make the proposal distribution scale invariant which simplifies tuning., On the day of the defence date the status of this article was Manuscript., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

We present an online method for joint state and parameter estimation in jump Markov non-linear systems (JMNLS). State inference is enabled via the use of particle filters which makes the method applicable to a wide range of non-linear models. To exploit the inherent structure of JMNLS, we design a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF) where the discrete mode is marginalized out analytically. This results in an efficient implementation of the algorithm and reduces the estimation error variance. The proposed RBPF is then used to compute, recursively in time, smoothed estimates of complete data sufficient statistics. Together with the online expectation maximization algorithm, this enables recursive identification of unknown model parameters including the transition probability matrix. The method is also applicable to online identification of jump Markov linear systems(JMLS). The performance of the method is illustrated in simulations and on a localization problem in wireless networks using real data., Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council under the Linnaeus Center (CADICS) Project Learning of complex dynamical systems [637-2014-466]; Frame Project Grant COOP-LOC; VR Project Scalable Kalman Filters

Gaussian process state-space models (GP-SSMs) are a very exible family of models of nonlinear dynamical systems. They comprise a Bayesian nonparametric representation of the dynamics of the system and additional (hyper-)parameters governing the properties of this nonparametric representation. The Bayesian formalism enables systematic reasoning about the uncertainty in the system dynamics. We present an approach to maximum likelihood identification of the parameters in GP-SSMs, while retaining the full nonparametric description of the dynamics. The method is based on a stochastic approximation version of the EM algorithm that employs recent developments in particle Markov chain Monte Carlo for efficient identification., CADICS

We derive a new Sequential-Monte-Carlo-based algorithm to estimate the capacity of two-dimensional channel models. The focus is on computing the noiseless capacity of the 2-D (1, ∞) run-length limited constrained channel, but the underlying idea is generally applicable. The proposed algorithm is profiled against a state-of-the-art method, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in estimation accuracy for a given computation time.

We propose a new framework for how to use sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms for inference in probabilistic graphical models (PGM). Via a sequential decomposition of the PGM we find a sequence of auxiliary distributions defined on a monotonically increasing sequence of probability spaces. By targeting these auxiliary distributions using SMC we are able to approximate the full joint distribution defined by the PGM. One of the key merits of the SMC sampler is that it provides an unbiased estimate of the partition function of the model. We also show how it can be used within a particle Markov chain Monte Carlo framework in order to construct high-dimensional block-sampling algorithms for general PGMs.

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Gaussian process state-space models (GP-SSMs) are a very exible family of models of nonlinear dynamical systems. They comprise a Bayesian nonparametric representation of the dynamics of the system and additional (hyper-)parameters governing the properties of this nonparametric representation. The Bayesian formalism enables systematic reasoning about the uncertainty in the system dynamics. We present an approach to maximum likelihood identification of the parameters in GP-SSMs, while retaining the full nonparametric description of the dynamics. The method is based on a stochastic approximation version of the EM algorithm that employs recent developments in particle Markov chain Monte Carlo for efficient identification., CADICS

We derive a new Sequential-Monte-Carlo-based algorithm to estimate the capacity of two-dimensional channel models. The focus is on computing the noiseless capacity of the 2-D (1, ∞) run-length limited constrained channel, but the underlying idea is generally applicable. The proposed algorithm is profiled against a state-of-the-art method, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in estimation accuracy for a given computation time.

We propose a new framework for how to use sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms for inference in probabilistic graphical models (PGM). Via a sequential decomposition of the PGM we find a sequence of auxiliary distributions defined on a monotonically increasing sequence of probability spaces. By targeting these auxiliary distributions using SMC we are able to approximate the full joint distribution defined by the PGM. One of the key merits of the SMC sampler is that it provides an unbiased estimate of the partition function of the model. We also show how it can be used within a particle Markov chain Monte Carlo framework in order to construct high-dimensional block-sampling algorithms for general PGMs.

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Gaussian process state-space models (GP-SSMs) are a very exible family of models of nonlinear dynamical systems. They comprise a Bayesian nonparametric representation of the dynamics of the system and additional (hyper-)parameters governing the properties of this nonparametric representation. The Bayesian formalism enables systematic reasoning about the uncertainty in the system dynamics. We present an approach to maximum likelihood identification of the parameters in GP-SSMs, while retaining the full nonparametric description of the dynamics. The method is based on a stochastic approximation version of the EM algorithm that employs recent developments in particle Markov chain Monte Carlo for efficient identification., CADICS

We propose a new framework for how to use sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms for inference in probabilistic graphical models (PGM). Via a sequential decomposition of the PGM we find a sequence of auxiliary distributions defined on a monotonically increasing sequence of probability spaces. By targeting these auxiliary distributions using SMC we are able to approximate the full joint distribution defined by the PGM. One of the key merits of the SMC sampler is that it provides an unbiased estimate of the partition function of the model. We also show how it can be used within a particle Markov chain Monte Carlo framework in order to construct high-dimensional block-sampling algorithms for general PGMs.

We derive a new Sequential-Monte-Carlo-based algorithm to estimate the capacity of two-dimensional channel models. The focus is on computing the noiseless capacity of the 2-D (1, ∞) run-length limited constrained channel, but the underlying idea is generally applicable. The proposed algorithm is profiled against a state-of-the-art method, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in estimation accuracy for a given computation time.

Gaussian process state-space models (GP-SSMs) are a very exible family of models of nonlinear dynamical systems. They comprise a Bayesian nonparametric representation of the dynamics of the system and additional (hyper-)parameters governing the properties of this nonparametric representation. The Bayesian formalism enables systematic reasoning about the uncertainty in the system dynamics. We present an approach to maximum likelihood identification of the parameters in GP-SSMs, while retaining the full nonparametric description of the dynamics. The method is based on a stochastic approximation version of the EM algorithm that employs recent developments in particle Markov chain Monte Carlo for efficient identification., CADICS

We propose a new framework for how to use sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms for inference in probabilistic graphical models (PGM). Via a sequential decomposition of the PGM we find a sequence of auxiliary distributions defined on a monotonically increasing sequence of probability spaces. By targeting these auxiliary distributions using SMC we are able to approximate the full joint distribution defined by the PGM. One of the key merits of the SMC sampler is that it provides an unbiased estimate of the partition function of the model. We also show how it can be used within a particle Markov chain Monte Carlo framework in order to construct high-dimensional block-sampling algorithms for general PGMs.

We derive a new Sequential-Monte-Carlo-based algorithm to estimate the capacity of two-dimensional channel models. The focus is on computing the noiseless capacity of the 2-D (1, ∞) run-length limited constrained channel, but the underlying idea is generally applicable. The proposed algorithm is profiled against a state-of-the-art method, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in estimation accuracy for a given computation time.

We propose an improved proposal distribution in the Particle Metropolis-Hastings (PMH) algorithm for Bayesian parameter inference in nonlinear state space models. This proposal incorporates second-order information about the parameter posterior distribution, which can be extracted from the particle filter already used within the PMH algorithm. The added information makes the proposal scale-invariant, simpler to tune and can possibly also shorten the burn-in phase. The proposed algorithm has a computational cost which is proportional to the number of particles, i.e. the same as the original marginal PMH algorithm. Finally, we provide two numerical examples that illustrates some of the possible benefits of adding the second-order information., CADICS

There is strong interest in positioing in wireless networks, partly to support end user service needs, but also to support network management with network-based network information. The focus in this paper is on the latter, while using measurements that are readily available in wireless networks. We show how thesignal direction of departure and inter-distance between the base station and the mobile terminal can be estimated, and how particle filters and smoothers can be used to post-process the measurements. The methods are evaluated in a live 3GPP LTE network with promising results inlcuding position error medians of less than 100 m., Funding Agencies|SSF, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research

We propose a novel method for maximum-likelihood-based parameter inference in nonlinear and/or non-Gaussian state space models. The method is an iterative procedure with three steps. At each iteration a particle filter is used to estimate the value of the log-likelihood function at the current parameter iterate. Using these log-likelihood estimates, a surrogate objective function is created by utilizing a Gaussian process model. Finally, we use a heuristic procedure to obtain a revised parameter iterate, providing an automatic trade-off between exploration and exploitation of the surrogate model. The method is profiled on two state space models with good performance both considering accuracy and computational cost., Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems

Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models., Funding Agencies|project Probabilistic modelling of dynamical systems - Swedish Research Council [621-2013-5524]; CADICS; Linnaeus Center - Swedish Research Council; project Bayesian Tracking and Reasoning over Time - EPSRC [EP/K020153/1]

Gaussian process state-space models (GP-SSMs) are a very exible family of models of nonlinear dynamical systems. They comprise a Bayesian nonparametric representation of the dynamics of the system and additional (hyper-)parameters governing the properties of this nonparametric representation. The Bayesian formalism enables systematic reasoning about the uncertainty in the system dynamics. We present an approach to maximum likelihood identification of the parameters in GP-SSMs, while retaining the full nonparametric description of the dynamics. The method is based on a stochastic approximation version of the EM algorithm that employs recent developments in particle Markov chain Monte Carlo for efficient identification., CADICS

We propose a new framework for how to use sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms for inference in probabilistic graphical models (PGM). Via a sequential decomposition of the PGM we find a sequence of auxiliary distributions defined on a monotonically increasing sequence of probability spaces. By targeting these auxiliary distributions using SMC we are able to approximate the full joint distribution defined by the PGM. One of the key merits of the SMC sampler is that it provides an unbiased estimate of the partition function of the model. We also show how it can be used within a particle Markov chain Monte Carlo framework in order to construct high-dimensional block-sampling algorithms for general PGMs.

We derive a new Sequential-Monte-Carlo-based algorithm to estimate the capacity of two-dimensional channel models. The focus is on computing the noiseless capacity of the 2-D (1, ∞) run-length limited constrained channel, but the underlying idea is generally applicable. The proposed algorithm is profiled against a state-of-the-art method, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in estimation accuracy for a given computation time.

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods provide computational tools for systematic inference and learning in complex dynamical systems, such as nonlinear and non-Gaussian state-space models. This thesis builds upon several methodological advances within these classes of Monte Carlo methods.Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of SMC and MCMC in so called particle MCMC algorithms. These algorithms rely on SMC for generating samples from the often highly autocorrelated state-trajectory. A specific particle MCMC algorithm, referred to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS), is suggested. By making use of backward sampling ideas, albeit implemented in a forward-only fashion, PGAS enjoys good mixing even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This results in a computationally competitive particle MCMC algorithm. As illustrated in this thesis, PGAS is a useful tool for both Bayesian and frequentistic parameter inference as well as for state smoothing. The PGAS sampler is successfully applied to the classical problem of Wiener system identification, and it is also used for inference in the challenging class of non-Markovian latent variable models.Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. As a second problem considered in this thesis, we develop Monte Carlo methods capable of exploiting such substructures to obtain more accurate estimators than what is provided otherwise. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well known Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF). The RBPF is analysed in terms of asymptotic variance, resulting in an expression for the performance gain offered by Rao-Blackwellization. Furthermore, a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother is derived, capable of addressing the smoothing problem in so called mixed linear/nonlinear state-space models. The idea of Rao-Blackwellization is also used to develop an online algorithm fo, CNDM, CADICS

Particle smoothing is useful for offline state inference and parameter learning in nonlinear/non-Gaussian state-space models. However, many particle smoothers, such as the popular forward filter/backward simulator (FFBS), are plagued by a quadratic computational complexity in the number of particles. One approach to tackle this issue is to use rejection-sampling-based FFBS (RS-FFBS), which asymptotically reaches linear complexity. In practice, however, the constants can be quite large and the actual gain in computational time limited. In this contribution, we develop a hybrid method, governed by an adaptive stopping rule, in order to exploit the benefits, but avoid the drawbacks, of RS-FFBS. The resulting particle smoother is shown in a simulation study to be considerably more computationally efficient than both FFBS and RS-FFBS., CNDM, CADICS

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods provide computational tools for systematic inference and learning in complex dynamical systems, such as nonlinear and non-Gaussian state-space models. This thesis builds upon several methodological advances within these classes of Monte Carlo methods.Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of SMC and MCMC in so called particle MCMC algorithms. These algorithms rely on SMC for generating samples from the often highly autocorrelated state-trajectory. A specific particle MCMC algorithm, referred to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS), is suggested. By making use of backward sampling ideas, albeit implemented in a forward-only fashion, PGAS enjoys good mixing even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This results in a computationally competitive particle MCMC algorithm. As illustrated in this thesis, PGAS is a useful tool for both Bayesian and frequentistic parameter inference as well as for state smoothing. The PGAS sampler is successfully applied to the classical problem of Wiener system identification, and it is also used for inference in the challenging class of non-Markovian latent variable models.Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. As a second problem considered in this thesis, we develop Monte Carlo methods capable of exploiting such substructures to obtain more accurate estimators than what is provided otherwise. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well known Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF). The RBPF is analysed in terms of asymptotic variance, resulting in an expression for the performance gain offered by Rao-Blackwellization. Furthermore, a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother is derived, capable of addressing the smoothing problem in so called mixed linear/nonlinear state-space models. The idea of Rao-Blackwellization is also used to develop an online algorithm fo, CNDM, CADICS

Particle smoothing is useful for offline state inference and parameter learning in nonlinear/non-Gaussian state-space models. However, many particle smoothers, such as the popular forward filter/backward simulator (FFBS), are plagued by a quadratic computational complexity in the number of particles. One approach to tackle this issue is to use rejection-sampling-based FFBS (RS-FFBS), which asymptotically reaches linear complexity. In practice, however, the constants can be quite large and the actual gain in computational time limited. In this contribution, we develop a hybrid method, governed by an adaptive stopping rule, in order to exploit the benefits, but avoid the drawbacks, of RS-FFBS. The resulting particle smoother is shown in a simulation study to be considerably more computationally efficient than both FFBS and RS-FFBS., CNDM, CADICS

Particle smoothing is useful for offline state inference and parameter learning in nonlinear/non-Gaussian state-space models. However, many particle smoothers, such as the popular forward filter/backward simulator (FFBS), are plagued by a quadratic computational complexity in the number of particles. One approach to tackle this issue is to use rejection-sampling-based FFBS (RS-FFBS), which asymptotically reaches linear complexity. In practice, however, the constants can be quite large and the actual gain in computational time limited. In this contribution, we develop a hybrid method, governed by an adaptive stopping rule, in order to exploit the benefits, but avoid the drawbacks, of RS-FFBS. The resulting particle smoother is shown in a simulation study to be considerably more computationally efficient than both FFBS and RS-FFBS., CNDM, CADICS

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods provide computational tools for systematic inference and learning in complex dynamical systems, such as nonlinear and non-Gaussian state-space models. This thesis builds upon several methodological advances within these classes of Monte Carlo methods.Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of SMC and MCMC in so called particle MCMC algorithms. These algorithms rely on SMC for generating samples from the often highly autocorrelated state-trajectory. A specific particle MCMC algorithm, referred to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS), is suggested. By making use of backward sampling ideas, albeit implemented in a forward-only fashion, PGAS enjoys good mixing even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This results in a computationally competitive particle MCMC algorithm. As illustrated in this thesis, PGAS is a useful tool for both Bayesian and frequentistic parameter inference as well as for state smoothing. The PGAS sampler is successfully applied to the classical problem of Wiener system identification, and it is also used for inference in the challenging class of non-Markovian latent variable models.Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. As a second problem considered in this thesis, we develop Monte Carlo methods capable of exploiting such substructures to obtain more accurate estimators than what is provided otherwise. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well known Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF). The RBPF is analysed in terms of asymptotic variance, resulting in an expression for the performance gain offered by Rao-Blackwellization. Furthermore, a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother is derived, capable of addressing the smoothing problem in so called mixed linear/nonlinear state-space models. The idea of Rao-Blackwellization is also used to develop an online algorithm fo, CNDM, CADICS

Particle smoothing is useful for offline state inference and parameter learning in nonlinear/non-Gaussian state-space models. However, many particle smoothers, such as the popular forward filter/backward simulator (FFBS), are plagued by a quadratic computational complexity in the number of particles. One approach to tackle this issue is to use rejection-sampling-based FFBS (RS-FFBS), which asymptotically reaches linear complexity. In practice, however, the constants can be quite large and the actual gain in computational time limited. In this contribution, we develop a hybrid method, governed by an adaptive stopping rule, in order to exploit the benefits, but avoid the drawbacks, of RS-FFBS. The resulting particle smoother is shown in a simulation study to be considerably more computationally efficient than both FFBS and RS-FFBS., CNDM, CADICS

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods provide computational tools for systematic inference and learning in complex dynamical systems, such as nonlinear and non-Gaussian state-space models. This thesis builds upon several methodological advances within these classes of Monte Carlo methods.Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of SMC and MCMC in so called particle MCMC algorithms. These algorithms rely on SMC for generating samples from the often highly autocorrelated state-trajectory. A specific particle MCMC algorithm, referred to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS), is suggested. By making use of backward sampling ideas, albeit implemented in a forward-only fashion, PGAS enjoys good mixing even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This results in a computationally competitive particle MCMC algorithm. As illustrated in this thesis, PGAS is a useful tool for both Bayesian and frequentistic parameter inference as well as for state smoothing. The PGAS sampler is successfully applied to the classical problem of Wiener system identification, and it is also used for inference in the challenging class of non-Markovian latent variable models.Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. As a second problem considered in this thesis, we develop Monte Carlo methods capable of exploiting such substructures to obtain more accurate estimators than what is provided otherwise. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well known Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF). The RBPF is analysed in terms of asymptotic variance, resulting in an expression for the performance gain offered by Rao-Blackwellization. Furthermore, a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother is derived, capable of addressing the smoothing problem in so called mixed linear/nonlinear state-space models. The idea of Rao-Blackwellization is also used to develop an online algorithm fo, CNDM, CADICS

Particle smoothing is useful for offline state inference and parameter learning in nonlinear/non-Gaussian state-space models. However, many particle smoothers, such as the popular forward filter/backward simulator (FFBS), are plagued by a quadratic computational complexity in the number of particles. One approach to tackle this issue is to use rejection-sampling-based FFBS (RS-FFBS), which asymptotically reaches linear complexity. In practice, however, the constants can be quite large and the actual gain in computational time limited. In this contribution, we develop a hybrid method, governed by an adaptive stopping rule, in order to exploit the benefits, but avoid the drawbacks, of RS-FFBS. The resulting particle smoother is shown in a simulation study to be considerably more computationally efficient than both FFBS and RS-FFBS., CNDM, CADICS

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods provide computational tools for systematic inference and learning in complex dynamical systems, such as nonlinear and non-Gaussian state-space models. This thesis builds upon several methodological advances within these classes of Monte Carlo methods.Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of SMC and MCMC in so called particle MCMC algorithms. These algorithms rely on SMC for generating samples from the often highly autocorrelated state-trajectory. A specific particle MCMC algorithm, referred to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS), is suggested. By making use of backward sampling ideas, albeit implemented in a forward-only fashion, PGAS enjoys good mixing even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This results in a computationally competitive particle MCMC algorithm. As illustrated in this thesis, PGAS is a useful tool for both Bayesian and frequentistic parameter inference as well as for state smoothing. The PGAS sampler is successfully applied to the classical problem of Wiener system identification, and it is also used for inference in the challenging class of non-Markovian latent variable models.Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. As a second problem considered in this thesis, we develop Monte Carlo methods capable of exploiting such substructures to obtain more accurate estimators than what is provided otherwise. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well known Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF). The RBPF is analysed in terms of asymptotic variance, resulting in an expression for the performance gain offered by Rao-Blackwellization. Furthermore, a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother is derived, capable of addressing the smoothing problem in so called mixed linear/nonlinear state-space models. The idea of Rao-Blackwellization is also used to develop an online algorithm fo, CNDM, CADICS

Gaussian innovations are the typical choice in most ARX models but using other distributions such as the Student's t could be useful. We demonstrate that this choice of distribution for the innovations provides an increased robustness to data anomalies, such as outliers and missing observations. We consider these models in a Bayesian setting and perform inference using numerical procedures based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. These models include automatic order determination by two alternative methods, based on a parametric model order and a sparseness prior, respectively. The methods and the advantage of our choice of innovations are illustrated in three numerical studies using both simulated data and real EEG data., CADICS, CNDS

Gaussian innovations are the typical choice in most ARX models but using other distributions such as the Student's t could be useful. We demonstrate that this choice of distribution for the innovations provides an increased robustness to data anomalies, such as outliers and missing observations. We consider these models in a Bayesian setting and perform inference using numerical procedures based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. These models include automatic order determination by two alternative methods, based on a parametric model order and a sparseness prior, respectively. The methods and the advantage of our choice of innovations are illustrated in three numerical studies using both simulated data and real EEG data., CADICS, CNDS

Gaussian innovations are the typical choice in most ARX models but using other distributions such as the Student's t could be useful. We demonstrate that this choice of distribution for the innovations provides an increased robustness to data anomalies, such as outliers and missing observations. We consider these models in a Bayesian setting and perform inference using numerical procedures based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. These models include automatic order determination by two alternative methods, based on a parametric model order and a sparseness prior, respectively. The methods and the advantage of our choice of innovations are illustrated in three numerical studies using both simulated data and real EEG data., CADICS, CNDS

Gaussian innovations are the typical choice in most ARX models but using other distributions such as the Student's t could be useful. We demonstrate that this choice of distribution for the innovations provides an increased robustness to data anomalies, such as outliers and missing observations. We consider these models in a Bayesian setting and perform inference using numerical procedures based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. These models include automatic order determination by two alternative methods, based on a parametric model order and a sparseness prior, respectively. The methods and the advantage of our choice of innovations are illustrated in three numerical studies using both simulated data and real EEG data., CADICS, CNDS

Gaussian innovations are the typical choice in most ARX models but using other distributions such as the Student's t could be useful. We demonstrate that this choice of distribution for the innovations provides an increased robustness to data anomalies, such as outliers and missing observations. We consider these models in a Bayesian setting and perform inference using numerical procedures based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. These models include automatic order determination by two alternative methods, based on a parametric model order and a sparseness prior, respectively. The methods and the advantage of our choice of innovations are illustrated in three numerical studies using both simulated data and real EEG data., CADICS, CNDS

We consider the two related problems of state inference in nonlinear dynamical systems and nonlinear system identification. More precisely, based on noisy observations from some (in general) nonlinear and/or non-Gaussian dynamical system, we seek to estimate the system state as well as possible unknown static parameters of the system. We consider two different aspects of the state inference problem, filtering and smoothing, with the emphasis on the latter. To address the filtering and smoothing problems, we employ sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods, commonly referred to as particle filters (PF) and particle smoothers (PS). Many nonlinear models encountered in practice contain some tractable substructure. If this is the case, a natural idea is to try to exploit this substructure to obtain more accurate estimates than what is provided by a standard particle method. For the filtering problem, this can be done by using the well-known Rao-Blackwellised particle filter (RBPF). In this thesis, we analyse the RBPF and provide explicit expressions for the variance reduction that is obtained from Rao-Blackwellisation. Furthermore, we address the smoothing problem and develop a novel Rao-Blackwellised particle smoother (RBPS), designed to exploit a certain tractable substructure in the model. Based on the RBPF and the RBPS we propose two different methods for nonlinear system identification. The first is a recursive method referred to as the Rao-Blackwellised marginal particle filter (RBMPF). By augmenting the state variable with the unknown parameters, a nonlinear filter can be applied to address the parameter estimation problem. However, if the model under study has poor mixing properties, which is the case if the state variable contains some static parameter, SMC filters such as the PF and the RBPF are known to degenerate. To circumvent this we introduce a so called “mixing” stage in the RBMPF, which makes it more suitable for models with poor mixing properties. The secon

We consider a semiparametric, i.e. a mixed parametric/nonparametric, model of a Wiener system. We use a state-space model for the linear dynamical system and a nonparametric Gaussian process (GP) model for the static nonlinearity. The GP model is a flexible model that can describe different types of nonlinearities while avoiding making strong assumptions such as monotonicity. We derive an inferential method based on recent advances in Monte Carlo statistical methods, known as Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC). The idea underlying PMCMC is to use a particle filter (PF) to generate a sample state trajectory in a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler. We use a recently proposed PMCMC sampler, denoted particle Gibbs with backward simulation, which has been shown to be efficient even when we use very few particles in the PF. The resulting method is used in a simulation study to identify two different Wiener systems with non-invertible nonlinearities., CADICS, CNDM

We consider the smoothing problem for a class of conditionally linear Gaussian state-space (CLGSS) models, referred to as mixed linear/nonlinear models. In contrast to the better studied hierarchical CLGSS models, these allow for an intricate cross dependence between the linear and the nonlinear parts of the state vector. We derive a Rao-Blackwellized particle smoother (RBPS) for this model class by exploiting its tractable substructure. The smoother is of the forward filtering/backward simulation type. A key feature of the proposed method is that, unlike existing RBPS for this model class, the linear part of the state vector is marginalized out in both the forward direction and in the backward direction., CNDM, CADICS

k-means clustering is a popular approach to clustering. It is easy to implement and intuitive but has the disadvantage of being sensitive to initialization due to an underlying nonconvex optimization problem. In this paper, we derive an equivalent formulation of k-means clustering. The formulation takes the form of a L0-regularized least squares problem. We then propose a novel convex, relaxed, formulation of k-means clustering. The sum-of-norms regularized least squares formulation inherits many desired properties of k-means but has the advantage of being independent of initialization.