Time series are data observed over time (either in continuous time or at discrete time periods).
Overview
Time series are data observed over time (either in continuous time or at discrete time periods).
Time series analysis includes:
- Trend identification (e.g. autocorrelation)
- Temporal pattern recognition
- Spectral analysis / wavelet analysis
- Forecasting (e.g. regression)
- Anomaly detection
The salient characteristic of methods of time series analysis (as opposed to more general methods to analyze relationships among data) is accounting for the possibility of serial correlation (also known as temporal correlation) among the data. Positive serial correlation means successive observations in time tend to be close to one another, whereas negative serial correlation means successive observations tend to oscillate between extremes. Time series analysis also differs from analyses of more general stochastic processes by focusing on the inherent direction of time, creating a potential asymmetry between past and future.
