The Society for Imprecise Probability: Theories and Applications (SIPTA) was created in February 2002, with the aim of promoting the

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

Imprecise probability Imprecise probability generalizes probability theory to allow for partial probability specifications, and is applicable when information is scarce, vague, or conflicting, in which case a unique probability distribution may be hard to identify. Ther ...

. This is done through a series of activities for bringing together researchers from different groups, creating resources for information dissemination and

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of knowledge managem ...

, and making other people aware of the potential of Imprecise Probability models.

Background

The Society was originally created to manage the series of International Symposia on Imprecise Probabilities and Their Applications (ISIPTA). The first ISIPTA happened in 1999 in Ghent, Belgium; due to the success of the event, a second edition took place in Cornell, United States, in 2001. The Society was then created in Switzerland, during the year of 2002. The first general meeting of the Society happened during the third ISIPTA, in Lugano, Switzerland. The Society is now concerned with many activities around the theme of imprecise probabilities.

is understood in a very wide sense. It is used as a generic term to cover all mathematical models which measure chance or uncertainty without sharp numerical

probabilities Probability is a branch of mathematics and statistics concerning Event (probability theory), events and numerical descriptions of how likely they are to occur. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1; the larger the probab ...

. It includes both qualitative (comparative probability, partial preference orderings,...) and

quantitative Quantitative may refer to: * Quantitative research, scientific investigation of quantitative properties * Quantitative analysis (disambiguation) * Quantitative verse, a metrical system in poetry * Statistics, also known as quantitative analysis ...

models (interval probabilities,

belief functions A belief is a subjective attitude that something is true or a state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some stance, take, or opinion about something. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to ...

, upper and lower previsions,...). Imprecise probability models are needed in

inference Inferences are steps in logical reasoning, moving from premises to logical consequences; etymologically, the word '' infer'' means to "carry forward". Inference is theoretically traditionally divided into deduction and induction, a distinct ...

problems where the relevant information is scarce, vague or conflicting, and in decision problems where preferences may also be incomplete.

Bibliography

* Walley, Peter: ''Statistical reasoning with imprecise probabilities''. London; New York: Chapman and Hall, 1991. Monographs on statistics and applied probability: 42. .

References

*"On the Use of Imprecise Probabilities in Reliability", F. P. A. Coolen, '': 15th ARTS Advances in Reliability Technology Symposium ''
abstract
*
Editorial: Imprecise probability perspectives on artificial intelligence
' by Marco Zaffalon and Gert de Cooman. — Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (subscription required)

External links

The Society for Imprecise Probability: Theories and Applications
{{authority control Mathematical societies