Abstract
Flexible models for multivariate processes are increasingly important for datasets in the geophysical, environmental, economics and health sciences. Modern datasets involve numerous variables observed at large numbers of space–time locations, with millions of data points being common. We develop a suite of stochastic models for nonstationary multivariate processes. The constructions break into three basic categories—quasi-arithmetic, locally stationary covariances with compact support, and locally stationary covariances with possible long-range dependence. All derived models are nonstationary, and we illustrate the flexibility of select choices through simulation.



Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apanasovich TV, Genton MG (2010) Cross-covariance functions for multivariate random fields based on latent dimensions. Biometrika 97:15–30
Apanasovich TV, Genton MG, Sun Y (2012) A valid Matérn class of cross-covariance functions for multivariate random fields with any number of components. J Am Stat Assoc 107:180–193
Askey R (1973) Radial characteristic functions, Tech. Rep. 1262. Mathematical Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Berg C, Forst G (1975) Potential theory on locally compact abelian groups. Springer, Berlin
Bhatia R (2007) Positive definite matrices. Princeton Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Cramér H (1940) On the theory of stationary random processes. Ann Math 41:215–230
Du J, Ma C (2012) Vector random fields with compactly supported covariance matrix functions. J Stat Plan Inference 143:457–467
Du J, Zhang H, Mandrekar VS (2009) Fixed-domain asymptotic properties of tapered maximum likelihood estimators. Ann Stat 37:3330–3361
Fuentes M (2002) Spectral methods for nonstationary spatial processes. Biometrika 89:197–210
Fuentes M, Smith RL (2001) A new class of nonstationary spatial models, Tech. rep. North Carolina State University, Department of Statistics, Raleigh, NC
Furrer R, Genton MG, Nychka D (2006) Covariance tapering for interpolation of large datasets. J Comput Gr Stat 15:502–523
Furutsu K (1963) On the theory of radio wave propagation over inhomogeneous earth. J Res Natl Bureau Stand 67D:39–62
Gaspari G, Cohn SE (1999) Construction of correlation functions in two and three dimensions. Q J R Meteorol Soc 125:723–757
Gneiting T (2002a) Compactly supported correlation functions. J Multivar Anal 83:493–508
Gneiting T (2002b) Nonseparable, stationary covariance functions for space–time data. J Am Stat Assoc 97:590–600
Gneiting T, Schlather M (2004) Stochastic models that separate fractal dimension and the Hurst effect. SIAM Rev 46:269–282
Gneiting T, Kleiber W, Schlather M (2010) Matérn cross-covariance functions for multivariate random fields. J Am Stat Assoc 105:1167–1177
Goulard M, Voltz M (1992) Linear coregionalization model: tools for estimation and choice of cross-variogram matrix. Math Geol 24:269–282
Hardy GH, Littlewood JE, Pólya G (1934) Inequalities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Higdon D (1998) A process-convolution approach to modelling temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean. Environ Ecol Stat 5:173–190
Kaufman CG, Schervish MJ, Nychka DW (2008) Covariance tapering for likelihood-based estimation in large spatial data sets. J Am Stat Assoc 103:1545–1555
Kleiber W, Genton MG (2013) Spatially varying cross-correlation coefficients in the presence of nugget effects. Biometrika 100:213–220
Kleiber W, Nychka D (2012) Nonstationary modeling for multivariate spatial processes. J Multivar Anal 112:76–91
Kleiber W, Katz RW, Rajagopalan B (2013) Daily minimum and maximum temperature simulation over complex terrain. Ann Appl Stat 7:588–612
Majumdar A, Gelfand AE (2007) Multivariate spatial modeling for geostatistical data using convolved covariance functions. Math Geol 39:225–245
Majumdar A, Paul D, Bautista D (2010) A generalized convolution model for multivariate nonstationary spatial processes. Stat Sin 20:675–695
Mardia K, Goodall C (1993) Spatial-temporal analysis of multivariate environmental monitoring data. In: Patil GP, Rao CR (eds) Multivariate environmental statistics. North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 347–386
Matheron G (1962) Traité de géostatistique appliquée. Tome 1, Editions Technip, Paris
Nagumo M (1930) Über eine klasse der mittelwerte. Jpn J Math 7:71–79
Narcowich FJ, Ward JD (1994) Generalized Hermite interpolation via matrix-valued conditionally positive definite functions. Math Comput 63:661–687
Paciorek CJ, Schervish MJ (2006) Spatial modelling using a new class of nonstationary covariance functions. Environmetrics 17:483–506
Pintore A, Holmes C (2006) Spatially adaptive non-stationary covariance functions via spatially adaptive spectra
Porcu E, Schilling RL (2011) From Schoenberg to Pick–Nevanlinna: toward a complete picture of the variogram class. Bernoulli 17:441–455
Porcu E, Zastavnyi V (2011) Characterization theorems for some classes of covariance functions associated to vector valued random fields. J Multivar Anal 102:1293–1301
Porcu E, Gregori P, Mateu J (2009a) Archimedean spectral densities for nonstationary space–time geostatistics. Stat Sin 19:273–286
Porcu E, Mateu J, Christakos G (2009b) Quasi-arithmetic means of covariance functions with potential applications to space–time data. J Multivar Anal 100:1830–1844
Porcu E, Matkowski J, Mateu J (2010) On the non-reducibility of non-stationary correlation functions to stationary ones under a class of mean-operator transformations. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 24:599–610
Porcu E, Daley DJ, Buhmann M, and Bevilacqua M (2013a) Radial basis functions with compact support for multivariate geostatistics. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 27(4):909–922
Porcu E, Daley DJ, and Bevilacqua M (2013b) Classes of compactly supported correlation functions for multivariate random fields
Scheuerer M, Schlather M (2012) Covariance models for divergence-free and curl-free random vector fields. Stoch Models 28:433–451
Schilling RL, Song R, Vondraček Z (2010) Bernstein functions: theory and. Springer, Berlin
Schlather M (2010) Some covariance models based on normal scale mixtures. Bernoulli 16:780–797
Stein ML (2005) Nonstationary spatial covariance functions. University of Chicago, CISES Technical Report 21
Ver Hoef JM, Barry RP (1998) Constructing and fitting models for cokriging and multivariable spatial prediction. J Stat Plan Inference 69:275–294
Wackernagel H (2003) Multivariate geostatistics, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin
Wendland H (1995) Piecewise polynomial, positive definite and compactly supported radial functions of minimal degree. Adv Comput Math 4:389–396
Acknowledgments
Emilio Porcu is supported by Proyecto Fondecyt Regular number 1130647, funded by the Chilean Ministry of Education.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kleiber, W., Porcu, E. Nonstationary matrix covariances: compact support, long range dependence and quasi-arithmetic constructions. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 29, 193–204 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-014-0867-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-014-0867-6
