A Spline-based Method for Modelling and Generating a Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process

This paper presents a spline-based input modelling method for inferring the intensity function of a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) given arrival-time observations. A simple method for generating arrivals from the resulting intensity function is also presented. Splines are a natural choice for modelling intensity functions as they are smooth by construction, and highly flexible. Although flexibility is an advantage in terms of reducing the bias with respect to the true intensity function, it can lead to overfitting. Our method is therefore based on maximising the penalised NHPP log-likelihood, where the penalty is a measure of rapid changes in the spline-based representation. An empirical comparison of the spline-based method against two recently developed input modelling techniques is presented, along with an illustration of the method given arrivals from a real-world accident and emergency (A&E) department

Detecting bias due to input modelling in computer simulation

This is the first paper to approach the problem of bias in the output of a stochastic simulation due to using input distributions whose parameters were estimated from real-world data. We consider, in particular, the bias in simulation-based estimators of the expected value (long-run average) of the real-world system performance; this bias will be present even if one employs unbiased estimators of the input distribution parameters due to the (typically) nonlinear relationship between these parameters and the output response. To date this bias has been assumed to be negligible because it decreases rapidly as the quantity of real-world input data increases. While true asymptotically, this property does not imply that the bias is actually small when, as is always the case, data are finite. We present a delta-method approach to bias estimation that evaluates the nonlinearity of the expected-value performance surface as a function of the input-model parameters. Since this response surface is unknown, we propose an innovative experimental design to fit a response-surface model that facilitates a test for detecting a bias of a relevant size with specified power. We evaluate the method using controlled experiments, and demonstrate it through a realistic case study concerning a healthcare call centre

A Spline Function Method for Modelling and Generating a Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process

This paper presents a spline-based input modelling method for inferring the rate function of a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) given arrival-time observations and a simple method for generating arrivals from the resulting rate function. Splines are a natural choice for modelling rate functions as they are smooth by construction, and highly flexible. Although flexibility is an advantage in terms of reducing the bias with respect to the true rate function, it can lead to overfitting. Our method is therefore based on maximising the penalised NHPP log-likelihood, where the penalty is a measure of rapid changes in the spline-based representation. A controlled empirical comparison of the spline-based method against two recently developed input modelling techniques is presented considering the recovery of the rate function, the propagation of input modelling error, and the performance of methods given data that are under or over-dispersed in comparison to a Poisson process

Quantifying and reducing Input modelling error in simulation

This thesis presents new methodology in the field of quantifying and reducing input modelling error in computer simulation. Input modelling error is the uncertainty in the output of a simulation that propagates from the errors in the input models used to drive it. When the input models are estimated from observations of the real-world system input modelling error will always arise as only a finite number of observations can ever be collected. Input modelling error can be broken down into two components: variance, known in the literature as input uncertainty; and bias. In this thesis new methodology is contributed for the quantification of both of these sources of error. To date research into input modelling error has been focused on quantifying the input uncertainty (IU) variance. In this thesis current IU quantification techniques for simulation models with time homogeneous inputs are extended to simulation models with nonstationary input processes. Unlike the IU variance, the bias caused by input modelling has, until now, been virtually ignored. This thesis provides the first method for quantifying bias caused by input modelling. Also presented is a bias detection test for identifying, with controlled power, a bias due to input modelling of a size that would be concerning to a practitioner. The final contribution of this thesis is a spline-based arrival process model. By utilising a highly flexible spline representation, the error in the input model is reduced; it is believed that this will also reduce the input modelling error that passes to the simulation output. The methods described in this thesis are not available in the current literature and can be used in a wide range of simulation contexts for quantifying input modelling error and modelling input processes