  		AUTOCLASS MODEL DESCRIPTIONS

1.0  		Introduction
1.1             Single Multinomial Model
1.2             Single Normal CN Model
1.3             Single Normal CM Model
1.4             Multi Normal CN Model


1.0 Introduction

   The following text sections are brief overviews of each model's
implementation.


1.1 Single Multinomial Model

    This implements a single multinomial likelihood model term for symbolic
or integer attributes which is conditionally independent of other attributes
given the class.  The likelihood is defined to be the probability of the
particular attribute value for the class.  It is assumed here that the data
values have been transformed from native format to a zero based and contiguous
series of integers, presumably in the data input module.  Any missing values 
must be represented by one of these integer values.

    The likelihood parameters are a vector of probabilities for each possible
value of each attribute.  Priors are implicit, and implemented in the code.


1.2 Single Normal CN Model

    This term models a single real valued attribute with a conditionally
independent Gaussian normal distribution.  This model assumes that there are
no missing values and that the measurement error is both constant and small
relative to the model variance.  The probability of any particular observation
is then the integral of the posterior distribution from (X - error) to
(X + error).  The model parameters are a mean and variance.  The sufficient
statistics are the weighted mean, variance, and (constant) geometric mean error.
The parameter prior distributations are a normal for the mean and a log uniform 
for the root variance (sigma).  The prior distribution parameters are
heuristicly approximated from the database statistics.  

    This model is directly applicable to real location attributes.  It is
indirectly applicable to real scaler (bounded below) attributes, using a log-
transform of the attribute.  It is also applicable to bounded (above and below)
real attributes with a log-odds transform, but this is not yet available.  It
may be applied to integer attributes where they are considered to measured
points on a continuous distribution.  Such attributes must have been described
as reals.


1.3 Single Normal CM Model

    This term models a single real valued attribute as a class conditionally
independent binary probability of actually observing a value, with a Gaussian
normal probability for those values actually observed.  Thus the failure to
observe a value for the attribute is considered to be a real possibility of the
measurement process and is modeled as such.  The probability due to the attribute
in any particular observation is then the discrete probability of having found a
value multiplied (when a value is found) by the integral of the normal
distribution from (X - error) to (X + error).  This model assumes that the
measurement error is constant and is small relative to the data variance.  The
model parameters are the binary probability of observing a value, a mean and a
variance.  The sufficient statistics are the fraction of observations, and the
weighted mean, variance, and (constant) geometric mean error.  The parameter
prior distributations are a simple conjunct for the binary, a normal for the mean
and a log uniform for the root variance (sigma).  The prior distribution
parameters are heuristicly approximated from the database statistics.

    This model is directly applicable to real location attributes.  It is 
indirectly applicable to real scaler (bounded below) attributes, using a log-
transform of the attribute.  It is also applicable to bounded (above and below)
real attributes with a log-odds-transform, but this is not yet available.  It
may be applied to integer attributes where values are considered to be measured
points on a continuous distribution.  Such attributes must have been described
as reals.


1.4 Multi Normal CN Model

This implements a likelihood term representing a set of real valued attributes,
each with constant measurement error and without missing values, which are
conditionally independent of other attributes given the class.  This term is
defined as a normal covariant distribution, parameterized by a means vector and
covariance matrix.  The current priors implementation assumes simple conjunct
priors taken from the global empirical values.  Note that one objective in 
writing this has been to avoid allocation of temporary vectors and matrices to 
store intermediate results.  Thus the term parameter structure contains several 
temp structures that are used in much the manner of a Fortran common structure.
