AIExplainer
Machine Learning Intermediate 1 min read

What is a nonstationarity?

A feature whose values change across one or more dimensions, usually time.

A feature whose values change across one or more dimensions, usually time. For example, consider the following examples of nonstationarity: - The number of swimsuits sold at a particular store varies with the season. - The quantity of a particular fruit harvested in a particular region is zero for much of the year but large for a brief period. - Due to climate change, annual mean temperatures are shifting. Contrast with stationarity.

Practitioners refer to nonstationarity when building, training, or evaluating machine learning systems. It appears in research papers, product documentation, and technical discussions about AI capabilities and limitations.