The R-package PNAR for modelling count network time series

We introduce a new R package for analysis and inference of network count time series. Such data arise frequently in statistics and epidemiology and are modelled as multivariate time series by employing either linear or log-linear models. However, nonlinear models have also been successful in several fields but often excluded from the analysis due to their relative fitting complexity. In this paper, we offer users the flexibility to study and specify non-linear network count time series models by providing them with a toolkit that copes with computational issues. In addition, new estimation tools for (log-)linear network autoregressive models of count time series are also developed. We illustrate the methodology to the weekly number of influenza A & B cases in the 140 districts of the two Southern German states Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, for the years 2001 to 2008. This dataset is publicly available, so that the analysis is easily reproducible.