X-SOM and L-SOM: a nested approach for missing value imputation

In this paper, a new method for the determination of missing values in temporal databases is presented. This one is based on a robust version of a nonlinear classification algorithm called Self-Organizing Maps and it consists of a combination of two classifications in order to take advantage of spatial as well as temporal dependencies of the dataset. This nested approach leads to a significant improvement of the estimation of the missing values. An application of the determination of missing values for hedge fund return database is presented.