Contextual movement models based on normalizing flows

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Movement models predict positions of players (or objects in general) over time and are thus key to analyzing spatiotemporal data as it is often used in sports analytics. Existing movement models are either designed from physical principles or are entirely data-driven. However, the former suffers from oversimplifications to achieve feasible and interpretable models, while the latter relies on computationally costly, from a current point of view, nonparametric density estimations and require maintaining multiple estimators, each responsible for different types of movements (e.g., such as different velocities). In this paper, we propose a unified contextual probabilistic movement model based on normalizing flows. Our approach learns the desired densities by directly optimizing the likelihood and maintains only a single contextual model that can be conditioned on auxiliary variables. Training is simultaneously performed on all observed types of movements, resulting in an effective and efficient movement model. We empirically evaluate our approach on spatiotemporal data from professional soccer. Our findings show that our approach outperforms the state of the art while being orders of magnitude more efficient with respect to computation time and memory requirements.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAStA Advances in Statistical Analysis
Volume107
Issue number1-2
Pages (from-to)51-72
Number of pages22
ISSN1863-8171
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 03.2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

    Research areas

  • Density estimation, Movement models, Normalizing flows, Soccer data, Spatiotemporal data, Sports analytics
  • Business informatics

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Noise level estimation and detection
  2. Interpreting Strings, Weaving Threads
  3. Computer als Medium
  4. Learning Analytics with Matlab Grader in Undergraduate Engineering Courses
  5. Lyapunov approach for a pi-controller with anti-windup in a permanent magnet synchronous motor using chopper control
  6. Modeling and simulation of size effects in metallic glasses with non-local continuum mechanics theory
  7. Getting down to specifics on RCA [Resource Consumption Accounting]
  8. Exploring priority effects in a central European grassland field experiment in order to inform restoration
  9. The identification of up-And downstream industries using input-output tables and a firm-level application to minority shareholdings
  10. Life satisfaction in Germany after reunification: Additional insights on the pattern of convergence
  11. Public Value: rethinking value creation
  12. Towards productive functions?
  13. Bayesian Analysis of Longitudinal Multitrait
  14. Are all errors created equal?
  15. Errors in Working with Office Computers
  16. Introduction: The representative turn in EU studies
  17. Duration of Organizational Decision Processes in Organizations in View of Simulation Calculations
  18. Portuguese part-of-speech tagging with large margin structure learning
  19. A Two-Stage Sliding-Mode High-Gain Observer to Reduce Uncertainties and Disturbances Effects for Sensorless Control in Automotive Applications
  20. Archives
  21. Implementing the Kyoto Protocol without Russia
  22. Crowdsourcing
  23. Ob lang oder kurz, berührbar oder nicht: Ist die Längenschätzkompetenz eindimensional?
  24. Energy model, boundary object and societal lens
  25. Soft Skills for Hard Constraints
  26. Advancing Qualitative Meta-Studies (QMS)
  27. Introduction to Philosophy of Management
  28. How people explain their own and others’ behavior:
  29. Development and criterion validity of differentiated and elevated vocational interests in adolescence
  30. Calibration of a simple method for determining ammonia loss in the field
  31. Conceptualizing community in energy systems