The problem of detection and identification of an unobservable change in the distribution of a random sequence is studied via a hidden Markov model (HMM) approach. The formulation is Bayesian, on-line, discrete-time, allowing both single- and multiple- disorder cases, dealing with both independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) and dependent observations scenarios, allowing for statistical dependencies between the change-time and change-type in both the observation sequence and the risk structure, and allowing for general discrete-time disorder distributions. Several of these factors provide useful new generalizations of the sequential analysis theory for change detection and/or hypothesis testing, taken individually. In this paper, a unifying framework is provided that handles each of these considerations not only individually, but also concurrently. Optimality results and optimal decision characterizations are given as well as detailed examples that illustrate the myriad of sequential change detection and identification problems that fall within this new framework.
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