Journal de biométrie et biostatistique

A Likelihood Ratio Test for Homogeneity in Circular Data

Abstract

Juan José Fernández-Durán and María Mercedes Gregorio-Domínguez

Testing for the homogeneity of density functions of circular random variables is useful in many settings including the study of wind patterns, paleocurrents trends, the seasonality in human-related events such as homicides and suicides and the seasonality in the appearance of diseases. In this paper, we considered that the density functions are members of the flexible family of circular distributions based on nonnegative trigonometric (Fourier) sums (series) developed by Fernandez-Duran [1]. We constructed a test based on the likelihood ratio and we applied the proposed test to simulated and real datasets.