Are Synthetic Time-series Data Really not as Good as Real Data?
Not on the map. Why?
Abstract (arXiv)
Time-series data presents limitations stemming from data quality issues, bias and vulnerabilities, and generalization problem. Integrating universal data synthesis methods holds promise in improving generalization. However, current methods cannot guarantee that the generator's output covers all unseen real data. In this paper, we introduce InfoBoost -- a highly versatile cross-domain data synthesizing framework with time series representation learning capability. We have developed a method based on synthetic data that enables model training without the need for real data, surpassing the performance of models trained with real data. Additionally, we have trained a universal feature extractor based on our synthetic data that is applicable to all time-series data. Our approach overcomes interference from multiple sources rhythmic signal, noise interference, and long-period features that exceed sampling window capabilities. Through experiments, our non-deep-learning synthetic data enables models to achieve superior reconstruction performance and universal explicit representation extraction without the need for real data.
Key facts. Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 4 of its 26 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 1 Feb 2024.
Builds on
4 of 26 references.
References · 4
- 2022A Time Series is Worth 64 Words: Long-term Forecasting with Transformerscited by 1,981
- 2020A Transformer-based Framework for Multivariate Time Series Representation Learningcited by 449
- 2021A Hitchhiker's Guide to Structural Similaritycited by 16
- 2023Traffic Prediction using Artificial Intelligence: Review of Recent Advances and Emerging Opportunitiescited by 16
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2024: 2; 2025: 3; 2026: 2.
7 papers.
- 2024ChatTS: Aligning Time Series with LLMs via Synthetic Data for Enhanced Understanding and Reasoningcited by 95
- 2024VisionTS: Visual Masked Autoencoders Are Free-Lunch Zero-Shot Time Series Forecasterscited by 87
- 2025Empowering Time Series Analysis with Synthetic Data: A Survey and Outlook in the Era of Foundation Modelscited by 15
- 2025VisionTS++: Cross-Modal Time Series Foundation Model with Continual Pre-trained Vision Backbonescited by 11
- 2026STReasoner: Empowering LLMs for Spatio-Temporal Reasoning in Time Series via Spatial-Aware Reinforcement Learningcited by 7
- 2025TimePoint: Accelerated Time Series Alignment via Self-Supervised Keypoint and Descriptor Learningcited by 2
- 2026Aionoscope: Debugging Latent-State Accessibility in Time-Series Representationscited by 1
- 2026Aionoscope: Debugging Latent-State Accessibility in Time-Series Representations1 Jul 2026
- 2026STReasoner: Empowering LLMs for Spatio-Temporal Reasoning in Time Series via Spatial-Aware Reinforcement Learning6 Jan 2026
- 2025VisionTS++: Cross-Modal Time Series Foundation Model with Continual Pre-trained Vision Backbones6 Aug 2025
- 2025TimePoint: Accelerated Time Series Alignment via Self-Supervised Keypoint and Descriptor Learning29 May 2025
- 2025Empowering Time Series Analysis with Synthetic Data: A Survey and Outlook in the Era of Foundation Models14 Mar 2025
- 2024ChatTS: Aligning Time Series with LLMs via Synthetic Data for Enhanced Understanding and Reasoning4 Dec 2024
- 2024VisionTS: Visual Masked Autoencoders Are Free-Lunch Zero-Shot Time Series Forecasters30 Aug 2024