Latent variable regression and applications to planetary seismic instrumentation

Abstract

The work presented in this thesis is framed by the concept of latent variables, a modern data analytics approach. A latent variable represents an extracted component from a dataset which is not directly measured. The concept is first applied to combat the problem of ill-posed regression through the promising method of partial least squares (PLS). In this context the latent variables within a data matrix are extracted through an iterative algorithm based on cross-covariance as an optimisation criterion. This work first extends the PLS algorithm, using adaptive and recursive techniques, for online, non-stationary data applications. The standard PLS algorithm is further generalised for complex-, quaternion- and tensor-valued data. In doing so it is shown that the multidimensional algebras facilitate physically meaningful representations, demonstrated through smart-grid frequency estimation and image-classification tasks. The second part of the thesis uses this knowledge to inform a performance analysis of the MEMS microseismometer implemented for the InSight mission to Mars. This is given in terms of the sensor's intrinsic self-noise, the estimation of which is achieved from experimental data with a colocated instrument. The standard coherence and proposed delta noise estimators are analysed with respect to practical issues. The implementation of algorithms for the alignment, calibration and post-processing of the data then enabled a definitive self-noise estimate, validated from data acquired in ultra-quiet, deep-space environment. A method for the decorrelation of the microseismometer's output from its thermal response is proposed. To do so a novel sensor fusion approach based on the Kalman filter is developed for a full-band transfer-function correction, in contrast to the traditional ill-posed frequency division method. This algorithm was applied to experimental data which determined the thermal model coefficients while validating the sensor's performance at tidal frequencies 1E-5Hz and in extreme environments at -65C. This thesis, therefore, provides a definitive view of the latent variables perspective. This is achieved through the general algorithms developed for regression with multidimensional data and the bespoke application to seismic instrumentation.Open Acces