Abstract
We extend the problem of obtaining an estimator for the finite population mean parameter incorporating complete auxiliary information through calibration estimation in survey sampling under a functional data framework. The functional calibration sampling weights of the estimator are obtained by matching the calibration estimation problem with the maximum entropy on the mean – MEM – principle. In particular, the calibration estimation is viewed as an infinite-dimensional linear inverse problem following the structure of the MEM approach. We give a precise theoretical setting and estimate the functional calibration weights assuming, as prior measures, the centred Gaussian and compound Poisson random measures. Additionally, through a simple simulation study, we show that the proposed functional calibration estimator improves its accuracy compared with the Horvitz–Thompson one.