Reductions of discrete Bayesian networks via lumping

Abstract

Bayesian networks are widely utilised in various fields, offering elegant representations of factorisations and causal relationships. We use surjective functions to reduce the dimensionality of the Bayesian networks by combining states and study the preservation of their factorisation structure. We introduce and define corresponding notions, analyse their properties, and provide examples of highly symmetric special cases, enhancing the understanding of the fundamental properties of such reductions for Bayesian networks. We also discuss the connection between this and reductions of homogeneous and non-homogeneous Markov chains.