Statistical Inference and Simulation for Spatial Point Processes: (Chapman & Hall/CRC Monographs on Statistics & Applied Probability)

Spatial point processes play a fundamental role in spatial statistics and today they are an active area of research with many new applications. Although other published works address different aspects of spatial point processes, most of the classical literature deals only with nonparametric methods, and a thorough treatment of the theory and applications of simulation-based inference is difficult to find. Written by researchers at the top of the field, this book collects and unifies recent theoretical advances and examples of applications. The authors examine Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms and explore one of the most important recent developments in MCMC: perfect simulation procedures.

Table of Contents:
EXAMPLES OF SPATIAL POINT PATTERNS INTRODUCTION TO POINT PROCESSES Point Processes on R^d Marked Point Processes and Multivariate Point Processes Unified Framework Space-Time Processes POISSON POINT PROCESSES Basic Properties Further Results Marked Poisson Processes SUMMARY STATISTICS First and Second Order Properties Summary Statistics Nonparametric Estimation Summary Statistics for Multivariate Point Processes Summary Statistics for Marked Point Processes COX PROCESSES Definition and Simple Examples Basic Properties Neyman-Scott Processes as Cox Processes Shot Noise Cox Processes Approximate Simulation of SNCPs Log Gaussian Cox Processes Simulation of Gaussian Fields and LGCPs Multivariate Cox Processes MARKOV POINT PROCESSES Finite Point Processes with a Density Pairwise Interaction Point Processes Markov Point Processes Extensions of Markov Point Processes to R^d Inhomogeneous Markov Point Processes Marked and Multivariate Markov Point Processes METROPOLIS-HASTINGS ALGORITHMS Description of Algorithms Background Material for Markov Chains Convergence Properties of Algorithms SIMULATION-BASED INFERENCE Monte Carlo Methods and Output Analysis Estimation of Ratios of Normalising Constants Approximate Likelihood Inference Using MCMC Monte Carlo Error Distribution of Estimates and Hypothesis Tests Approximate MissingData Likelihoods INFERENCE FOR MARKOV POINT PROCESSES Maximum Likelihood Inference Pseudo Likelihood Bayesian Inference INFERENCE FOR COX PROCESSES Minimum Contrast Estimation Conditional Simulation and Prediction Maximum Likelihood Inference Bayesian Inference BIRTH-DEATH PROCESSES AND PERFECT SIMULATION Spatial Birth-Death Processes Perfect Simulation APPENDICES History, Bibliography, and Software Measure Theoretical Details Moment Measures and Palm Distributions Perfect Simulation of SNCPs Simulation of Gaussian Fields Nearest-Neighbour Markov Point Processes Results for Spatial Birth-Death Processes References Subject Index Notation Index