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Posted to dev@commons.apache.org by Ahmed Fasih <ah...@aldebrn.me> on 2018/11/16 20:56:45 UTC

[math] Proposal: logsumexp

Hello friends, I'm new to Java, and to Apache Commons Math, and I'm porting some code to Java. One useful function that's available in Scipy is `logsumexp`:

https://docs.scipy.org/doc/scipy/reference/generated/scipy.special.logsumexp.html

In a nutshell, given a list of values in the log domain, the function numerically-stably sums them, yielding the result still in the log domain.

This is useful for me because I need to add and subtract the results of the log-Gamma function (via your `Gamma.logGamma`). For *subtraction,* Scipy's `logsumexp` can accept a *second* list giving the scalars to apply to each value (e.g., +1, -1), and returns both the magnitude *and* sign of the result.

I would like feedback on adding `logsumexp` to Apache Commons Math. I have ported the Python version, from

https://github.com/scipy/scipy/blob/5e5a2d2a47b9011be2f73971bba94b3e158936c5/scipy/special/_logsumexp.py#L9-L130

to Java, which lives at:

https://github.com/fasiha/ebisu-java/blob/2b651071b37aac5f85e8cb4c07ea7a1e14bb175c/src/main/java/me/aldebrn/ebisu/Ebisu.java#L33-L69

As mentioned above, I'm a beginner, and am experimenting with Java 8 Collections, etc., so I am embarrassed by my mixing of `List` and plain arrays in this last link above. Assuming that you think it would be a good addition to Math, I'm totally open to suggestions to improve the API.

Many thanks,

Ahmed

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Re: [math] Proposal: logsumexp

Posted by Gilles <gi...@harfang.homelinux.org>.
Hello.


Thank you for your interest in the "Commons Math" library.
However, you should be aware that some of its functionality is in the
process of being transferred to more focused components:
  * Commons Numbers
  * Commons RNG
  * Commons Statistics
  * Commons Geometry

In particular, a method such as you describe could perhaps have its
place in the "commons-numbers-arrays" module of "Numbers".[1]

Regards,
Gilles

[1] 
https://git1-us-west.apache.org/repos/asf?p=commons-numbers.git;a=tree;f=commons-numbers-arrays/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/numbers/arrays


On Fri, 16 Nov 2018 15:56:45 -0500, Ahmed Fasih wrote:
> Hello friends, I'm new to Java, and to Apache Commons Math, and I'm
> porting some code to Java. One useful function that's available in
> Scipy is `logsumexp`:
>
> 
> https://docs.scipy.org/doc/scipy/reference/generated/scipy.special.logsumexp.html
>
> In a nutshell, given a list of values in the log domain, the function
> numerically-stably sums them, yielding the result still in the log
> domain.
>
> This is useful for me because I need to add and subtract the results
> of the log-Gamma function (via your `Gamma.logGamma`). For
> *subtraction,* Scipy's `logsumexp` can accept a *second* list giving
> the scalars to apply to each value (e.g., +1, -1), and returns both
> the magnitude *and* sign of the result.
>
> I would like feedback on adding `logsumexp` to Apache Commons Math. I
> have ported the Python version, from
>
> 
> https://github.com/scipy/scipy/blob/5e5a2d2a47b9011be2f73971bba94b3e158936c5/scipy/special/_logsumexp.py#L9-L130
>
> to Java, which lives at:
>
> 
> https://github.com/fasiha/ebisu-java/blob/2b651071b37aac5f85e8cb4c07ea7a1e14bb175c/src/main/java/me/aldebrn/ebisu/Ebisu.java#L33-L69
>
> As mentioned above, I'm a beginner, and am experimenting with Java 8
> Collections, etc., so I am embarrassed by my mixing of `List` and
> plain arrays in this last link above. Assuming that you think it 
> would
> be a good addition to Math, I'm totally open to suggestions to 
> improve
> the API.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Ahmed
>


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Re: [math] Proposal: logsumexp

Posted by Gilles <gi...@harfang.homelinux.org>.
Hello.

On Wed, 21 Nov 2018 09:54:58 -0500, Ahmed Fasih wrote:
> Gilles, thanks for writing!, and sorry for the delay in responding.
>
>> However, you should be aware that some of its functionality is in 
>> the
>> process of being transferred to more focused components:
>>   * Commons Numbers
>>   * Commons RNG
>>   * Commons Statistics
>>   * Commons Geometry
>>
>> In particular, a method such as you describe could perhaps have its
>> place in the "commons-numbers-arrays" module of "Numbers".[1]
>
> Thank you, this is very interesting! What is the plan for Commons
> Math—will it go away and all its functionality be split between these
> packages?

It will depend on how much work contributors are willing to
put into the refactoring.  [Help is certainly needed even for
finalizing an initial round that actually started more than
3 years ago...]

> Or will it coexist with these other packages? How will the
> overlap in functionality be handled?

Ideally, there is no overlap:  Whatever exists in the new
components has been deleted (or will be) from Commons Math.
What will remain in the next release of Commons Math is either
  * truly high-level functionality (e.g. package "ode") or
  * some large chunks of code that require a lot of work to be
    worth moving into its own component (e.g. package "linear") or
  * widely useful functionality that lack a "porting team" (e.g.
    package "stat")

[Mostly these categories overlap, making CM a nightmare to
maintain.  Hence the only way forward being new components
with more focused scopes.]

> I saw that the Commons Numbers package hasn't yet had a formal
> release. Do you know if the team has a timeline on releasing it?

Realistically, no.
A lot of work has already gone into it, but we lack contributors
to review and fix the new found issues.
I was contemplating making a release of a selected set of components
but even so, review is needed to make the choice on a sound basis.

> I ask all these questions because I'm wondering what my next steps

Want to join the "team"? :-)

> should be towards getting `logsumexp`
> into either Commons Math

Since the last release, only bug fixes go into Commons Math.

> or
> Commons Numbers

Would be a good fit for the "commons-numbers-arrays" module.
What remains to be seen is whether some minimal "framework"
can be designed in order to make such functionality easy to
use with newer JDKs (functional interface, streams, ...).

> or both.

:-/

Regards,
Gilles

>
> Any insight you have will be appreciated! Thanks,
>
> Ahmed


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Re: [math] Proposal: logsumexp

Posted by Ahmed Fasih <ah...@aldebrn.me>.
Gilles, thanks for writing!, and sorry for the delay in responding.

> However, you should be aware that some of its functionality is in the
> process of being transferred to more focused components:
>   * Commons Numbers
>   * Commons RNG
>   * Commons Statistics
>   * Commons Geometry
> 
> In particular, a method such as you describe could perhaps have its
> place in the "commons-numbers-arrays" module of "Numbers".[1]

Thank you, this is very interesting! What is the plan for Commons Math—will it go away and all its functionality be split between these packages? Or will it coexist with these other packages? How will the overlap in functionality be handled?

I saw that the Commons Numbers package hasn't yet had a formal release. Do you know if the team has a timeline on releasing it?

I ask all these questions because I'm wondering what my next steps should be towards getting `logsumexp` into either Commons Math or Commons Numbers or both.

Any insight you have will be appreciated! Thanks,

Ahmed

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