Softplus and Neural Architectures for Enhanced Negative Binomial INGARCH Modeling

Abstract: The study addresses a significant gap in the literature by introducing the Softplus negative binomial Integer-valued Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (sp NB- INGARCH) model and establishing its stationarity properties, alongside methodology for parameter estimation. Building upon this foundation, the Neural negative binomial INGARCH (neu - NB-INGARCH) model is proposed, designed to enhance predictive accuracy while accommodating moderate non-stationarity in count time series data. A simulation study and data analysis demonstrate the efficacy of the sp NB-INGARCH model, while the practical utility of the neu - NB - INGARCH model is showcased through a comprehensive analysis of a healthcare data. Additionally, a thorough literature review is presented, focusing on the application of neural networks in time series modeling, with particular emphasis on count time series. In short, this work contributes to advancing the theoretical understanding and practical application of neural network-based models in count time series forecasting.