Verifying compliance with ballast water standards: a decision-theoretic approach

Author(s)

Costa, Eliardo G. ^[1] ; Paulino, Carlos Daniel ^{[2, 3]} ; Singer, Julio M. ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Estat, Natal, RN - Brazil

^[2] Univ Lisbon, Dept Matemat, IST, Lisbon - Portugal

^[3] Univ Lisbon, CEAUL, FCUL, Lisbon - Portugal

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Estat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SORT-Statistics and Operations Research Transactions; v. 45, n. 1, p. 19-31, JAN-JUN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

We construct credible intervals to estimate the mean organism (zooplankton and phytoplankton) concentration in ballast water via a decision-theoretic approach. To obtain the required optimal sample size, we use a total cost minimization criterion defined as the sum of the sampling cost and the Bayes risk either under a Poisson or a negative binomial model for organism counts, both with a gamma prior distribution. Such credible intervals may be employed to verify whether the ballast water discharged from a ship is in compliance with international standards. We also conduct a simulation study to evaluate the credible interval lengths associated with the proposed optimal sample sizes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/21728-2 - The use of modern autopsy techniques to investigate human diseases (MODAU)
• Grantee: Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants