On the formulation of the alternative hypothesis for geodetic outlier detection

The concept of outlier detection by statistical hypothesis testing in geodesy is briefly reviewed. The performance of such tests can only be measured or optimized with respect to a proper alternative hypothesis. Firstly, we discuss the important question whether gross errors should be treated as non-random quantities or as random variables. In the first case, the alternative hypothesis must be based on the common mean shift model, while in the second case, the variance inflation model is appropriate. Secondly, we review possible formulations of alternative hypotheses (inherent, deterministic, slippage, mixture) and discuss their implications. As measures of optimality of an outlier detection, we propose the premium and protection, which are briefly reviewed. Finally, we work out a practical example: the fit of a straight line. It demonstrates the impact of the choice of an alternative hypothesis for outlier detection.

VIVO