1st Edition

Handbook of Approximate Bayesian Computation

Edited By Scott A. Sisson, Yanan Fan, Mark Beaumont Copyright 2019
    680 Pages
    by Chapman & Hall

    678 Pages 114 B/W Illustrations
    by Chapman & Hall

    678 Pages 114 B/W Illustrations
    by Chapman & Hall

    As the world becomes increasingly complex, so do the statistical models required to analyse the challenging problems ahead. For the very first time in a single volume, the Handbook of Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) presents an extensive overview of the theory, practice and application of ABC methods. These simple, but powerful statistical techniques, take Bayesian statistics beyond the need to specify overly simplified models, to the setting where the model is defined only as a process that generates data. This process can be arbitrarily complex, to the point where standard Bayesian techniques based on working with tractable likelihood functions would not be viable. ABC methods finesse the problem of model complexity within the Bayesian framework by exploiting modern computational power, thereby permitting approximate Bayesian analyses of models that would otherwise be impossible to implement.



    The Handbook of ABC provides illuminating insight into the world of Bayesian modelling for intractable models for both experts and newcomers alike. It is an essential reference book for anyone interested in learning about and implementing ABC techniques to analyse complex models in the modern world.

    Introduction



    Overview of approximate Bayesian computation: S. A. Sisson, Y. Fan and M. A. Beaumont



    On the history of ABC: S.Tavare



    Regression approaches: M. G. B. Blum



    Monte Carlo samplers for ABC: Y. Fan and S. A. Sisson



    Summary statistics: D. Prangle



    Likelihood-free model choose: J.-M. Marin, P. Pudlo, A. Estoup and C. Robert



    ABC and indirect inference: C. C. Drovandi



    High-dimensional ABC: D. Nott, V. Ong, Y. Fan and S. A. Sisson Theoretical and methodological aspects of MCMC computations with noisy likelihoods: C. Andrieu, A.Lee and M. Viola



    Informed Choices: How to calibrate ABC with hypothesis testing: O. Ratmann, A. Camacho, S. Hu and C. Coljin



    Approximating the likelihood in approximate Bayesian computation: C. C. Drovandi, C. Grazian, K. Mengersen and C. Robert



    Software: D.Wegmann



    Divide and conquer in ABC: Expectation-Propagation algorithms for likelihood-free inference: S. Barthelme, N. Chopin and V. Cottet



    SMC-ABC methods for estimation of stochastic simulation models of the limit order book: G.W. Peters, E. Panayi and F. Septier



    Inferences on the acquisition of multidrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using molecular epidemiological data: G. S. Rodrigues, S. A. Sisson, M. M. Tanaka



    ABC in Systems Biology: J. Liepe and M. P. H. Stumpf



    Application of approximate Bayesian computation to make inference about the genetic history of Pygmy hunter-gatherers populations from Western Central Africa: A. Estoup et al



    ABC for climate: dealing with expensive simulators: P. B. Holden, N. R. Edwards, J. Hensman and R. D. Wilkinson



    ABC in ecological modelling: M. Fasiolo and S. N. Wood



    ABC in Nuclear Imaging: Y. Fan, S. R. Meikle, G. Angelis and A. Sitek

    Biography

    Scott Sission is Professor, ARC Future Fellow and Head of Statistics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW.



    Yanan Fan is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW.



    Mark Beaumont is Professor of Statistics at the University of Bristol.

    "The Handbook of Approximate Bayesian Computation presents basic approaches as well as extension and mathematical details about ABC approaches. Advantages (simplicity, wide applicability) as well as challenges (computational burden, various assumptions/choice of tuning parameters) of ABC are discussed in theory and application ... the Handbook of Approximate Bayesian Computation is an excellent book and an indispensable choice for all (beginners and advanced users) who are interested in obtaining a deeper understanding of ABC approaches in application as well as statistical theory."
    -Heiko Götte, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany