Introducing ProsperNN-a Python package for forecasting with neural networks

PeerJ Comput Sci. 2024 Nov 25:10:e2481. doi: 10.7717/peerj-cs.2481. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

We present the package prosper_nn, that provides four neural network architectures dedicated to time series forecasting, implemented in PyTorch. In addition, prosper_nn contains the first sensitivity analysis suitable for recurrent neural networks (RNN) and a heatmap to visualize forecasting uncertainty, which was previously only available in Java. These models and methods have successfully been in use in industry for two decades and were used and referenced in several scientific publications. However, only now we make them publicly available on GitHub, allowing researchers and practitioners to benchmark and further develop them. The package is designed to make the models easily accessible, thereby enabling research and application in various fields like demand and macroeconomic forecasting.

Keywords: Financial forecasting; Macroeconomic forecasting; Price forecasting; Recurrent neural networks; Software.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy through the Center for Analytics–Data–Applications (ADA-Center) within the framework of “BAYERN DIGITAL II” (20-3410-2-9-8). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.