An effective time series analysis tool can help data analysts understand and forecast trends and patterns in various domains, such as economics, finance, weather, health, etc. However, real-world data depends not on a single variable but on multiple related factors that affect each other over time. This is where multivariate time series analysis comes in handy. A time series (MTS) is a collection of two or more time series variables that are measured at the same time intervals and have some dependency or correlation.
How to analyze time series
- To identify the underlying structure and patterns of the MTS, such as trends, cycles, seasonality, outliers, etc.
- To measure the degree and direction of dependency or correlation among the variables in the MTS, such as cross-correlation, cointegration, causality, etc.
- To estimate the parameters and coefficients of the models that best fit the MTS data and capture their dynamics and interactions.
- To test the validity and accuracy of the models using various criteria and diagnostics, such as goodness-of-fit, residuals analysis, hypothesis testing, etc.
Different methods and models are available for multivariate time series analysis; some of the most common ones are:
- Vector autoregressive (VAR) models: These are extensions of univariate autoregressive (AR) models that allow each variable in the MTS to depend on its past values and the past values of other variables in the system.
- Vector moving average (VMA) models: These are extensions of univariate moving average (MA) models that allow each variable in the MTS to depend on its past errors and the past errors of other variables in the system.
- Vector error correction (VEC) models: These are special cases of VARIMA models that allow for the possibility of cointegration in the MTS, which means that some or all of the variables may share a common long-term trend or equilibrium relationship.
- State space models: These general models represent the MTS as a combination of an unobserved state vector that evolves according to a transition equation and an observed measurement vector that depends on the state vector according to a measurement equation.
What are the applications and challenges of time series analysis?
- Economics: To study the relationships among macroeconomic variables, such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rate, exchange rate, etc., and to forecast their future values and evaluate the effects of monetary or fiscal policies.
- Business: To study the performance of business activities, such as sales, revenue, profit, market share, customer satisfaction, etc., and to forecast their future trends and optimize the decisions regarding production, pricing, marketing, etc.
- Engineering: To study the dynamics of physical systems, such as electrical circuits, mechanical structures, chemical processes, etc., and to forecast their future states and control their outputs or inputs.
- Science: To study the phenomena of natural systems, such as weather, climate, geology, biology, etc., and to forecast their future changes and understand their causes or effects.
Conclusion
Time series are collections of two or more variables with some dependency or correlation; multivariate time series analysis is a discipline of statistics that uses various methods and models to elucidate, clarify, forecast, and regulate the behavior of multiple time series variables. Time series analysis has many applications in different fields and domains but poses many challenges for data analysts.