Dimension Reduction for Spatially Correlated Data: Spatial Predictor Envelope

Dimension reduction is an important tool for analyzing high-dimensional data. The predictor envelope is a method of dimension reduction for regression that assumes certain linear combinations of the predictors are immaterial to the regression. The method can result in substantial gains in estimation efficiency and prediction accuracy over traditional maximum likelihood and least squares estimates. While predictor envelopes have been developed and studied for independent data, no work has been done adapting predictor envelopes to spatial data. In this work, the predictor envelope is adapted to a popular spatial model to form the spatial predictor envelope (SPE). Maximum likelihood estimates for the SPE are derived, along with asymptotic distributions for the estimates given certain assumptions, showing the SPE estimates to be asymptotically more efficient than estimates of the original spatial model. The effectiveness of the proposed model is illustrated through simulation studies and the analysis of a geo-chemical data set.