A Review of Wrapped Distributions for Circular Data

Abstract

The wrapped method is the most widely used method for constructing distributions for circular data. In this paper, we provide a review of all known wrapped distributions, including 45 distributions for continuous circular data and 10 distributions for discrete circular data. For each wrapped distribution, we state its nth trigonometric moment, mean direction, mean resultant length, skewness, and kurtosis. We also discuss data applications and limitations of each wrapped distribution. This review could be a useful reference and encourage the development of more wrapped distributions. We also mention an R package available for fitting all of the reviewed distributions and illustrate its applications.

Keywords

• kurtosis
• mean direction
• mean resultant length
• skewness
• trigonometric moment