The Reduced Dynamic Chain Event Graph
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In this paper we introduce a new class of probabilistic graphical models called the Reduced Dynamic Chain Event Graph (RDCEG) which is a novel mixture of a Chain Event Graph (CEG) and a semi-Markov process (SMP). It has been demonstrated that many real-world scenarios, particularly in the domain of public health and security, can be modelled as an unfolding of events in the life histories of individuals. Our interest not only lies in the future trajectories of an individual with a specified history and set of characteristics but also in the timescale associated with these developments. Such information is critical in developing suitable interventions and informs the prioritisation of policy decisions. The RDCEG was born out of the need for such a model. It is a coloured graph which inherits useful properties like fast conjugate model selection, conditional independence interrogations and a support for causal interventions from the family of probabilistic graphical models. Its novelty lies in its underlying semi-Markov structure which offers the flexibility of the holding time at each state being any arbitrary distribution. We demonstrate this new decision support system with a simulated intervention to reduce falls in the elderly.
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