A grey modeling procedure based on the data smoothing index for short-term manufacturing demand forecast

Product life cycles have become increasingly shorter because of global competition. Under fierce competition, the use of small samples to establish demand forecasting models is crucial for enterprises. However, limited samples typically cannot provide sufficient information; therefore, this presents a major challenge to managers who must determine demand development trends. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes a modified grey forecasting model, called DSI–GM(1,1). Specifically, we developed a data smoothing index to analyze the data behavior and rewrite the calculation equation of the background value in the applied grey modeling, constructing a suitable model for superior forecasting performance according to data characteristics. Employing a test on monthly demand data of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels and the monthly average price of aluminum for cash buyers, the proposed modeling procedure resulted in high prediction outcomes; therefore, it is an appropriate tool for forecasting short-term demand with small samples.     

A comparison of univariate methods for forecasting container throughput volumes

In this paper, six univariate forecasting models for the container throughput volumes in Taiwan’s three major ports are presented. The six univariate models include the classical decomposition model, the trigonometric regression model, the regression model with seasonal dummy variables, the grey model, the hybrid grey model, and the SARIMA model. The purpose of this paper is to search for a model that can provide the most accurate prediction of container throughput. By applying monthly data to these models and comparing the prediction results based on mean absolute error, mean absolute percent error and root mean squared error, we find that in general the classical decomposition model appears to be the best model for forecasting container throughput with seasonal variations. The result of this study may be helpful for predicting the short-term variation in demand for the container throughput of other international ports.     

A novel procedure for multimodel development using the grey silhouette coefficient for small-data-set forecasting

Small-data-set forecasting problems are a critical issue in various fields, with the early stage of a manufacturing system being a good example. Manufacturers require sufficient knowledge to minimize overall production costs, but this is difficult to achieve due to limited number of samples available at such times. This research was thus conducted to develop a modelling procedure to assist managers or decision makers in acquiring stable prediction results from small data sets. The proposed method is a two-stage procedure. First, we assessed some single models to determine whether the tendency of a real sequence can be reflected using grey incidence analysis, and we then evaluated their forecasting stability based on the relative ratio of error range. Second, a grey silhouette coefficient was developed to create an applicable hybrid forecasting model for small samples. Two real cases were analysed to confirm the effectiveness and practical value of the proposed method. The empirical results showed that the multimodel procedure can minimize forecasting errors and improve forecasting results with limited data. Consequently, the proposed procedure is considered a feasible tool for small-data-set forecasting problems.     

An extended grey forecasting model for omnidirectional forecasting considering data gap difference

To achieve effective and efficient decision making in a highly competitive business environment, an enterprise must have an appropriate forecasting technique that can meet the requirements of both timeliness and accuracy. Accordingly, in the early stages, building a forecasting model with incomplete information and limited samples is very important to a business. Grey system theory is one of the prediction methods that can be built with a small sample and yet has a strong ability to make short-term predictions. The purpose of this study is to come up with an improved forecasting model based on the concept of this theory to enlarge the applicability of the grey forecasting model in various situations. By extending the data transforming approach, this method generalizes a building procedure for the grey model to grasp the data outline and information trend. Specifically, a novel inverse accumulating generation operator is developed to enable omnidirectional forecasting. The research utilizes observations of the titanium alloy fatigue limit along with temperature changes as raw data to verify the performance of the proposed method. The experimental results show that not only can this method expand the application scope of the grey forecasting model, but also improve its forecasting accuracy.     

Forecasting tender price index under incomplete information

Tender price index (TPI) is essential for estimating the likely tender price of a given project. Due to incomplete information on future market conditions, it is difficult to accurately forecast the TPI. Most traditional statistical forecasting models require a certain number of historical data, which may not be completely available in many practical situations. In order to overcome this problem, the grey model is proposed for forecasting TPIs because it only requires a small number of input data. For this study, the data source was based on the TPIs produced by the Government's Architectural Services Department. On the basis of four input data, the grey model forecasted TPIs from 1981Q1 to 2011Q4. The mean absolute percentage errors of forecast TPIs in one quarter and two quarters ahead were 3.62 and 7.04%, respectively. In order to assess the accuracy and reliability of the grey model further, the same research method was used to forecast other three TPIs in Hong Kong. The forecasting results of all four TPIs were found to be very good. It was thus concluded that the grey model could be able to produce accurate TPI forecasts for a one-quarter to two-quarter forecast horizon.     

Forecasting energy demand using neural-network-based grey residual modification models

Grey forecasting models have taken an important role for forecasting energy demand, particularly the GM(1,1) model, because they are able to construct a forecasting model using a limited samples without statistical assumptions. To improve prediction accuracy of a GM(1,1) model, its predicted values are often adjusted by establishing a residual GM(1,1) model, which together form a grey residual modification model. Two main issues should be considered: the sign estimation for a predicted residual and the way the two models are constructed. Previous studies have concentrated on the former issue. However, since both models are usually established in the traditional manner, which is dependent on a specific parameter that is not easily determined, this paper focuses on the latter issue, incorporating the neural-network-based GM(1,1) model into a residual modification model to resolve the drawback. Prediction accuracies of the proposed neural-network-based prediction models were verified using real power and energy demand cases. Experimental results verify that the proposed prediction models perform well in comparison with original ones.     

周期与季节性因素影响下的短生命周期产品预测优化模型

短生命周期产品因为需求的随机性和产品价值的瞬间变化性,对预测准确性提出了更高的要求.然而许多企业在使用多种预测模型后发现其预测准确率并没有得到显著提升.以短生命周期产品需求特点为背景,在需求预测影响的BASS模型基础上,建立受生命周期和季节性因素影响的需求预测优化模型,最后通过一个产品的实例证实了验证了模型的合理性.     

A new method to mitigate data fluctuations for time series prediction

Although the classic exponential-smoothing models and grey prediction models have been widely used in time series forecasting, this paper shows that they are susceptible to fluctuations in samples. A new fractional bidirectional weakening buffer operator for time series prediction is proposed in this paper. This new operator can effectively reduce the negative impact of unavoidable sample fluctuations. It overcomes limitations of existing weakening buffer operators, and permits better control of fluctuations from the entire sample period. Due to its good performance in improving stability of the series smoothness, the new operator can better capture the real developing trend in raw data and improve forecast accuracy. The paper then proposes a novel methodology that combines the new bidirectional weakening buffer operator and the classic grey prediction model. Through a number of case studies, this method is compared with several classic models, such as the exponential smoothing model and the autoregressive integrated moving average model, etc. Values of three error measures show that the new method outperforms other methods, especially when there are data fluctuations near the forecasting horizon. The relative advantages of the new method on small sample predictions are further investigated. Results demonstrate that model based on the proposed fractional bidirectional weakening buffer operator has higher forecasting accuracy.     

基于GM-ES-GASVR组合模型的丽江国内旅游需求预测

构建适合于预测丽江国内旅游需求的预测模型,对推动丽江旅游业的发展具有重要意义.研究发现灰色GM(1,1)模型、三次指数平滑模型与GA-SVR模型都适用于预测丽江国内旅游需求,且GA-SVR模型为这三个单项模型中的最优模型.在此基础上,利用变权方法建立GM-ES-GASVR组合预测模型.通过对拟合与测试结果的对比分析,表明GM-ES-GASVR变权组合预测模型比单一模型的拟合与测试效果都有较大改善.     

Discrete grey forecasting model and its optimization

Although the grey forecasting model has been successfully adopted in various fields and demonstrated promising results, the literatures show its performance could be further improved. For this purpose, this paper proposes a novel discrete grey forecasting model termed DGM model and a series of optimized models of DGM. This paper modifies the algorithm of GM(1, 1) model to enhance the tendency catching ability. The relationship between the two models and the forecasting precision of DGM model based on the pure index sequence is discussed. And further studies on three basic forms and three optimized forms of DGM model are also discussed. As shown in the results, the proposed model and its optimized models can increase the prediction accuracy. When the system is stable approximately, DGM model and the optimized models can effectively predict the developing system. This work contributes significantly to improve grey forecasting theory and proposes more novel grey forecasting models.     

基于统一灰色生成算子的三参数离散灰色预测模型及其应用

现有三参数离散灰色预测模型的累加阶数取值范围局限于正实数,导致模型建模能力和作用空间受限。为此,论文首先引入实数域统一灰色生成算子;然后,基于统一灰色生成算子构造了新型三参数离散灰色预测模型,实现了其阶数从正实数到全体实数的拓展与优化,从而使得新型模型具备挖掘时序数据积分特性与差异信息的双重功能;最后,将该新模型应用于某装甲装备维修经费的建模,结果显示其精度优于其它同类灰色模型。本研究成果对完善灰色算子基础理论及提高灰色预测模型建模能力具有重要价值。     

Development of improved adaptive approaches to electricity demand forecasting

This paper develops a short-term forecasting system for hourly electricity load demand based on Unobserved Components set up in a State Space framework. The system consists of two options, a univariate model and a non-linear bivariate model that relates demand to temperature. In order to handle the rapidly sampling interval of the data, a multi-rate approach is implemented with models estimated at different frequencies, some of them with ‘periodically amplitude modulated’ properties. The non-linear relation between demand and temperature is identified via a Data-Based Mechanistic approach and finally implemented by Radial Basis Functions. The models also include signal extraction of daily and weekly components. Both models are tested on the basis of a thorough experiment in which other options, like ARIMA and Artificial Neural Networks are also used. The models proposed compare very favourably with the rest of alternatives in forecasting load demand.     

Generalized GM (1, 1) model and its application in forecasting of fuel production

Grey theory is one approach that can be used to construct a model with limited samples to provide better forecasting advantage for short-term problems. Generally, the GM (1, 1) and Discrete GM (1, 1) models are two typical grey forecasting models in grey theory. However, there are two shortcomings in the above grey models respectively, i.e., the homogeneous-exponent simulative deviation in GM (1, 1) model, and the unequal conversion between the original and white equations in DGM (1, 1) model. In this paper, we firstly propose a novel Generalized GM (1, 1) model termed GGM (1, 1) model, based on GM (1, 1) and DGM (1, 1) models, to overcome the above shortcomings. Then, we detailedly study four important properties in this new grey model. Four estimative approaches of stepwise ratio in GGM (1, 1) model context is also covered. In the end, we simulate and forecast the fuel production in China during the period 2003–2010 using three GM (1, 1) models. The empirical results show that GGM (1, 1) model has higher simulative and predictive accuracy than GM (1, 1) and DGM (1, 1) models. This work contributes significantly to improve grey forecasting theory and proposes a optimized GM (1, 1) model.     

The effect of sample size on the grey system model

Some forecasting models have been developed, each has its own application condition. The grey model is used for small sample forecasting, but until now there is no reasonable explanation for the reason why it is not used for large sample. Therefore, in this paper, matrix perturbation theory is employed to explain the reason. The results of practical numerical examples from previous works demonstrate that the small sample usually has more accuracy than the large sample when establishing grey model in theory. Furthermore, we used the grey model with small samples to analyse the trend of syphilis incidence in China.     

Electricity consumption prediction using a neural-network-based grey forecasting approach

Electricity consumption is an important economic index and plays a significant role in drawing up an energy development policy for each country. Multivariate techniques and time-series analysis have been proposed to deal with electricity consumption forecasting, but a large amount of historical data is required to obtain accurate predictions. The grey forecasting model attracted researchers by its ability to characterize an uncertain system effectively with a limited number of samples. GM(1,1) is the most frequently used grey forecasting model, but its developing coefficient and control variable were dependent on the background value that is not easy to be determined, whereas a neural-network-based GM(1,1) model called NNGM(1,1) has been presented to resolve this troublesome problem. This study has applied NNGM(1,1) to electricity consumption and has examined its forecasting ability on electricity consumption using sample data from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation energy database. Experimental results demonstrate that NNGM(1,1) performs well.     

A novel grey forecasting model and its optimization

Although the grey forecasting model has been successfully employed in many fields and demonstrated promising results, its prediction results may be inaccurate sometimes. For the purposes of enhancing the predictive performance of grey forecasting model and enlarging its suitable ranges, this paper puts forward a novel grey forecasting model termed NGM model and its optimized model, develops a calculative formula for solving the parameters of the novel NGM model through the least squares method, and obtains the time response sequence of NGM model by using differential equation as a procedure for reasoning. It performs a numerical demonstration on the prediction accuracy of NGM model and its optimized models. As shown in the results, the proposed model and it optimized model can enhance the prediction accuracy. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed NGM model and its optimized model are effective. They are suitable for predicting the data sequence with the characteristics of non-homogeneous exponential law. This work makes important contribution to the enrichment of grey prediction theory.     

组合预测模型在能源消费预测中的应用

能源的需求预测是一个复杂的非线形系统,其发展变化具有增长性和波动性,组合预测对于信息不完备的复杂经济系统具有一定的实用性.本文利用我国能源消费的历史数据,采用灰色预测的GM(1,1)模型、BP神经网络模型和三次指数平滑模型进行优化组合,建立了能源消费组合预测模型,实证分析结果表明预测值和实际结果有很好的一致性,可以作为能源消费预测的有效工具.     

基于分解—集成的铁路货运需求预测研究

铁路货运量受到多种因素影响,准确的预测可以为铁路行业未来规划的编制提供重要的参考依据,也可以使铁路部门制定符合当前货运市场的运输政策。货运量数据具有非线性、不平稳的特点,利用传统的单一预测模型进行预测,很难描述整体特征,预测精度有待提高。本文基于分解—集成的原则,利用变分模态分解算法将货运量分解为高频和低频模态,针对各模态特点,分别建立预测模型,将得到的预测结果加总起来作为最终货运量的预测值。实证表明,分解—集成预测方法与传统的单一预测模型相比,提高了预测的准确率,可以很好地应用在铁路货运量需求预测的研究中。     

供应链零售商预测技术研究—基于牛鞭效应的视角

一阶自回归(AR(1))序列模拟需求过程是传统文献采用的经典模型,然而上述文献关于需求过程参数(如需求自回归系数)对牛鞭效应的影响分析缺乏实践意义,为了更符合企业的实际决策过程,本文建立了需求依赖于价格、而以AR(1)序列模拟价格过程的需求函数模型,分析了最小均方差、移动平均和指数平滑预测下的牛鞭效应,确定了零售商的预测技术选择条件。研究表明:(1)产品市场规模不影响零售商预测技术的选择;(2)当产品价格敏感系数较小或价格自回归系数较小时,零售商应选择最小均方差预测技术;(3)当产品价格敏感系数和价格自回归系数均较大时,零售商应选择移动平均预测技术。     

Error analysis: a tool for selecting travel demand models

In developing travel demand models it is generally assumed that the base-year data used in developing the parameters, as well as the forecasted data to be used as independent variables for the design year, are of acceptable quality. The purpose of this paper is to present the application of error propagation theory in assesing the predictive quality of one type of travel demand forecasting model (multinomial logit models) and to demonstrate how error considerations can be used as a tool for identifying the optimal model. The general conclusions of this study are that: (1) it is indeed possible to quantify errors in dependent variables in logit models as a consequence of errors in independent variables; and (2) error consideration can be used as a tool for identifying the optimal model from a set of candidate models. Further research is recommended to develop better insights into the phenomenon of error propagation so that the consideration of errors can be a factor in decisions on model selection.