Designs for smoothing spline ANOVA models

Smoothing spline estimation of a function of several variables based on an analysis of variance decomposition (SS-ANOVA) is one modern nonparametric technique. This paper considers the design problem for specific types of SS-ANOVA models. As criteria for choosing the design points, the integrated mean squared error (IMSE) for the SS-ANOVA estimate and its asymptotic approximation are derived based on the correspondence between the SS-ANOVA model and the random effects model with a partially improper prior. Three examples for additive and interaction spline models are provided for illustration. A comparison of the asymptotic designs, the 2d factorial designs, and the glp designs is given by numerical computation.