Statistics Colloquium : Dr. Ryan Janicki
Census Bureau
Location
Mathematics/Psychology : WebEx
Date & Time
December 4, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Description
Title: Bayesian Nonparametric Multivariate Spatial Mixture Mixed Effects Models with Application to American Community Survey Special Tabulations
Abstract: Leveraging multivariate spatial dependence to improve the precision of estimates using American Community Survey data and other sample survey data has been a topic of recent interest among data-users and federal statistical agencies. One strategy is to use a multivariate spatial mixed effects model with a Gaussian observation model and latent Gaussian process model. In practice, this works well for a wide range of tabulations. Nevertheless, in situations that exhibit heterogeneity among geographies and/or sparsity in the data, the Gaussian assumptions may be problematic and lead to underperformance. To remedy these situations, we propose a multivariate hierarchical Bayesian nonparametric mixed effects spatial mixture model to increase model flexibility. The number of clusters is chosen automatically in a data-driven manner. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated through a simulation study and motivating application of special tabulations for American Community Survey data.