JRSSB Jun 23, 2026

Structural classification of locally stationary time series based on second-order characteristics

Authors
Xiucai Ding Lexin Li Chen Qian
Research Topics
Machine Learning Time Series
Paper Information
  • Journal:
    Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B
  • DOI:
    10.1093/jrsssb/qkag083
  • Published:
    June 23, 2026
  • Added to Tracker:
    Jun 24, 2026
Abstract

Abstract Time series classification is crucial for numerous scientific and engineering applications. In this article, we present a numerically efficient, practically competitive, and theoretically rigorous classification method for distinguishing between two classes of locally stationary time series based on their time-domain, second-order characteristics. Our approach builds on the autoregressive approximation for locally stationary time series, imposes no requirement on the training sample size, and is shown to achieve zero misclassification error rate asymptotically when the underlying time series differ only mildly in their second-order characteristics. The new method is demonstrated to outperform a variety of state-of-the-art solutions, including wavelet-based, tree-based, convolution-based methods, as well as modern deep learning methods, through intensive numerical simulations and a real electroencephalography data analysis for epilepsy classification.

Author Details
Xiucai Ding
Author
Lexin Li
Author
Chen Qian
Author
Research Topics & Keywords
Machine Learning
Research Area
Time Series
Research Area
Citation Information
APA Format
Xiucai Ding , Lexin Li & Chen Qian (2026) . Structural classification of locally stationary time series based on second-order characteristics. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B , 10.1093/jrsssb/qkag083.
BibTeX Format
@article{paper1306,
  title = { Structural classification of locally stationary time series based on second-order characteristics },
  author = { Xiucai Ding and Lexin Li and Chen Qian },
  journal = { Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B },
  year = { 2026 },
  doi = { 10.1093/jrsssb/qkag083 },
  url = { https://doi.org/10.1093/jrsssb/qkag083 }
}