Statistics Seminar: Clare McGrory -- Variational Bayes for Spatial Data Analysis

Clare McGrory MIPS Portfolio, Mathematical Sciences Queensland University of Technology 

Location: Carslaw 173 

Time: 2pm Friday, April 1, 2011 

Title: Variational Bayes for Spatial Data Analysis 

Abstract: The Variational Bayes method is emerging as a viable alternative to MCMC-based
approaches for performing Bayesian inference.  The key strengths of the variational
Bayes approach are its computational efficiency and ease of implementation.  This makes
it particularly useful for practical applications where large datasets are frequently
encountered.  In this talk we will discuss its use for spatial data or image analysis
with a focus on hidden Markov random field modelling.  The variational approach that we
will outline will be illustrated with applications in medical imaging and environmental
modelling.