Constructing Valid and Informative Prediction Intervals for Regression Problems

מושגי ליבה

Prediction intervals are crucial for quantifying uncertainty in regression problems, but ensuring their validity and calibration is challenging. This study reviews and compares four main classes of methods - Bayesian, ensemble, direct interval estimation, and conformal prediction - to construct well-calibrated prediction intervals without being overly conservative.

תקציר

This paper provides a comprehensive overview and comparison of four main classes of methods for constructing prediction intervals in regression problems:

1. Bayesian methods:

   • Gaussian processes and Bayesian neural networks can model the full conditional distribution, but suffer from computational complexity.
   • Approximate Bayesian inference techniques like variational inference and Monte Carlo integration are used to make the methods more scalable.

2. Ensemble methods:

   • Bagging-based methods like random forests can use out-of-bag samples to estimate prediction intervals.
   • Dropout networks and deep ensembles model the predictive mean and variance jointly.

3. Direct interval estimation methods:

   • Quantile regression directly estimates conditional quantiles to obtain prediction intervals.
   • The High-Quality (HQ) principle aims to optimize both coverage and interval width.

4. Conformal prediction:

   • This framework can turn any point predictor into a valid interval estimator by calibrating the predictions on a separate dataset.
   • It provides theoretical guarantees on the validity of the prediction intervals without making strong assumptions.

The paper highlights the importance of well-calibrated prediction intervals, where the actual coverage matches the desired confidence level, without being overly conservative. It discusses how the different classes of methods can struggle with this calibration issue due to violations of underlying assumptions. The conformal prediction framework is presented as a general solution to obtain valid prediction intervals, even when starting from poorly calibrated models.

סטטיסטיקה

The average length of the prediction intervals is an important measure of their meaningfulness.
The coverage, i.e. the probability that the true response is contained in the prediction interval, should match the desired confidence level without being overly conservative.

ציטוטים

"An important issue is the validity and calibration of these methods: the generated prediction intervals should have a predefined coverage level, without being overly conservative."
"Results on benchmark data sets from various domains highlight large fluctuations in performance from one data set to another. These observations can be attributed to the violation of certain assumptions that are inherent to some classes of methods."
"Conformal prediction can be used as a general calibration procedure for methods that deliver poor results without a calibration step."

תובנות מפתח מזוקקות מ:

Valid prediction intervals for regression problems

by Nicolas Dewo... ב- arxiv.org 04-02-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2107.00363.pdf

שאלות מעמיקות

How can the conformal prediction framework be extended to handle non-i.i.d. data or time series regression problems

The conformal prediction framework can be extended to handle non-i.i.d. data or time series regression problems by incorporating the concept of exchangeability. In the context of time series data, the notion of temporal exchangeability can be utilized, where the order of the data points is taken into account. This involves considering the sequential nature of the data and ensuring that the nonconformity scores are calculated in a manner that respects the temporal dependencies present in the time series. By adapting the nonconformity measure to capture the sequential relationships in the data, the conformal prediction framework can be effectively applied to time series regression problems. Additionally, techniques such as rolling window approaches or incorporating lagged variables can be employed to handle the temporal aspect of the data.

What are the potential drawbacks or limitations of the conformal prediction approach compared to the other methods reviewed

While the conformal prediction approach offers several advantages, such as providing valid prediction intervals and being assumption-free, there are potential drawbacks and limitations to consider. One limitation is the computational overhead associated with recalculating critical values for each new data point, especially in scenarios where large calibration sets are required. This can impact the scalability of the method, particularly in real-time or high-frequency trading applications. Additionally, the exchangeability assumption, which is fundamental to the validity of the method, may not always hold in practice, leading to potential challenges in ensuring the validity of the prediction intervals. Furthermore, the need for a large calibration set to achieve asymptotic validity can be a practical limitation in situations where data availability is limited.

Can the insights from this study on regression problems be applied to improve uncertainty quantification in classification tasks as well

The insights gained from the study on regression problems can be applied to improve uncertainty quantification in classification tasks by leveraging the principles of calibration and validity. While the focus of the study was on regression settings, the fundamental concepts of generating prediction intervals with predefined coverage levels and addressing issues of calibration are applicable across different types of predictive modeling tasks. By incorporating the methodologies and techniques discussed in the study, such as Bayesian methods, ensemble learning, and conformal prediction, into classification models, it is possible to enhance the reliability and interpretability of uncertainty estimates in classification tasks. This can lead to more robust and trustworthy predictions, especially in critical applications where accurate uncertainty quantification is essential.