Include a simple reference model

Baselines considered:

  • no correction baseline (naïve but not realistically what epi colleagues would expect)
  • cut off last few weeks and repeat the previous week(s) (i.e. thinking that the data will be about the same)
  • cut off last few weeks and forecast (i.e. not trusting data in last few weeks, but assuming a continuing trend)
  • simple nowcast using a delay distribution convolution, based on simplest nowcast in NFIDD course (adjusting for delays but not any trends)

We decided to go for cut off and forecast (with a GAM) as a baseline for our measles nowcast, because we thought that might best represent what epi colleagues might try and do in their heads to adjust when looking at data without a nowcast

Also one of our PhD interns did a bit of a lit review on baselines in nowcasting literature, which I can send over via email

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