Isotonic regression in multi-dimensional spaces and graphs

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Abstract: In this paper we study minimax and adaptation rates in general isotonic regression. For uniform deterministic and random designs in [0,1]d with dge2 and N(0,1) noise, the minimax rate for the ell2 risk is known to be bounded from below by n−1/d when the unknown mean function f is nondecreasing and its range is bounded by a constant, while the least squares estimator (LSE) is known to nearly achieve the minimax rate up to a factor (logn)gamma where n is sample size, gamma=4 in the lattice design and gamma=max9/2,(d2+d+1)/2 in the random design. Moreover, the LSE is known to achieve the adaptation rate (K/n)−2/d1veelog(n/K)2gamma when f is piecewise constant on K hyperrectangles in a partition of [0,1]d. Due to the minimax theorem, the LSE is identical on every design point to both the max-min and min-max estimators over all upper and lower sets containing the design point. This motivates our consideration of estimators which lie in-between the max-min and min-max estimators over possibly smaller classes of upper and lower sets, including a subclass of block estimators. Under a q-th moment condition on the noise, we develop ellq risk bounds for such general estimators for isotonic regression on graphs. For uniform deterministic and random designs in [0,1]d with dge3, our ell2 risk bound for the block estimator matches the minimax rate n−1/d when the range of f is bounded and achieves the near parametric adaptation rate (K/n)1veelog(n/K)d when f is K-piecewise constant. Furthermore, the block estimator possesses the following oracle property in variable selection: When f depends on only a subset S of variables, the ell2 risk of the block estimator automatically achieves up to a poly-logarithmic factor the minimax rate based on the oracular knowledge of S.


This work considers the minimax and adaptation rates in the multivariate isotonic regression setting. The minimax theorem is used as the theoretical foundation to build a case for developing estimators which lie in-between the max-min and min-max estimators over possibly smaller classes of upper and lower sets, including a subclass of block estimators. Further, based on appropriate moment conditions on the noise, the research proceeds by providing corresponding risk bounds for such general estimators for isotonic regression on graphs. The asymptotic properties of these estimates are studied in detail and in particular the block estimate is shown to possess the so-called oracle property in variable selection.




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