Non-parametric estimation of Fisher information from real data

Abstract: The Fisher Information matrix is a widely used measure for applications ranging from statistical inference, information geometry, experiment design, to the study of criticality in biological systems. Yet there is no commonly accepted non-parametric algorithm to estimate it from real data. In this rapid communication we show how to accurately estimate the Fisher information in a nonparametric way. We also develop a numerical procedure to minimize the errors by choosing the interval of the finite difference scheme necessary to compute the derivatives in the definition of the Fisher information. Our method uses the recently published "Density Estimation using Field Theory" algorithm to compute the probability density functions for continuous densities. We use the Fisher information of the normal distribution to validate our method and as an example we compute the temperature component of the Fisher Information Matrix in the two dimensional Ising model and show that it obeys the expected relation to the heat capacity and therefore peaks at the phase transition at the correct critical temperature.