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CRiSM Seminar - Ioanna Manolopoulou

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Location: A1.01

Ioanna Manolopoulou (University College London)

Bayesian observation modeling in presence-only data

The prevalence of presence-only samples eg. in ecology or criminology has led to a variety of statistical approaches. Aiming to predict ecological niches, species distribution models provide probability estimates of a binary response (presence/absence) in light of a set of environmental covariates. Similarly, statistical models to predict crime use propensity indicators from observable attributes inferred from incidental data. However, the associated challenges are confounded by non-uniform observation models; even in cases where observation is driven by seemingly irrelevant factors, these may distort estimates about the distribution of occurrences as a function of covariates due to unknown correlations. We present a Bayesian non-parametric approach to addressing sampling bias by carefully incorporating an observation model in a partially identifiable framework with selectively informative priors and linking it to the underlying process. Any available information about the role of various covariates in the observation process can then naturally enter the model. For example, in cases where sampling is driven by presumed likelihood of detecting an occurrence, the observation model becomes a proxy of the presence/absence model. We illustrate our methods on an example from species distribution modeling and a corporate accounting application.

Joint work with Richard Hahn from Chicago Booth.

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