[Rd] idea for GSoC: an R package for fitting Bayesian Hierarchical Models

[Ben Bolker]

Antonio, Fabio Di Narzo <antonio.fabio <at> gmail.com> writes:

> 
> I've put online a temp web page with some more info (and sources):
> 
> http://antonio.fabio.googlepages.com/rgs%3Athergibbssampler
> 
> Bests,
> Antonio.
> 

  Have you seen Jouni Kerman's Umacs package?  It sounds similar
in spirit.

  Something I would love to see done (not that I have the time
and energy to supervise someone to do it right now) would be
an R (or Python/etc.: R wouldn't necessarily be the best tool)
to translate lmer/nlme syntax (Wilkinson-Rogers with extensions
for specifying random factors, correlation structures, etc.)
into a BUGS file.  It strikes me that it would be a really nice
way to bridge the gap between what mixed-model code can do
and what requires BUGS/MCMC.  Such models could also serve as
(1) a way to cross-check the results of mixed model code;
(2) a way to get started in relaxing the assumptions of mixed
models (e.g. allowing for non-normal random effects distributions).

  Ben Bolker