Functional data are usually functions of time, and the data curves often have a common pattern but with different amplitude and phase. To perform further analysis such as estimating the common pattern, curve registration is often needed. To apply most registration methods, curves need to be aligned to a reference curve. However, we have not found much discussion on the choice of a reference curve. In this paper, we consider the problem of reference curve selection and its effect on the common pattern estimation. We employ the notion of optimal design in reference curve selection and offer an algorithm. Simulation results are included to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.

Keywords: Curve alignment; Reference curve selection; Curve registration

Biography: Mr. Cheng is a doctoral student of the department of statistics at National Chengchi University in Taiwan