Error Estimation in Approximate Bayesian Belief Network Inference

Abstract: We can perform inference in Bayesian belief networks by enumerating instantiations with high probability thus approximating the marginals. In this paper, we present a method for determining the fraction of instantiations that has to be considered such that the absolute error in the marginals does not exceed a predefined value. The method is based on extreme value theory. Essentially, the proposed method uses the reversed generalized Pareto distribution to model probabilities of instantiations below a given threshold. Based on this distribution, an estimate of the maximal absolute error if instantiations with probability smaller than u are disregarded can be made.