Linear Algebra Approach to Separable Bayesian Networks

Abstract: Separable Bayesian Networks, or the Influence Model, are dynamic Bayesian Networks in which the conditional probability distribution can be separated into a function of only the marginal distribution of a node's neighbors, instead of the joint distributions. In terms of modeling, separable networks has rendered possible siginificant reduction in complexity, as the state space is only linear in the number of variables on the network, in contrast to a typical state space which is exponential. In this work, We describe the connection between an arbitrary Conditional Probability Table (CPT) and separable systems using linear algebra. We give an alternate proof on the equivalence of sufficiency and separability. We present a computational method for testing whether a given CPT is separable.