Introducing some efficient model selection criteria for mixed models is a substantial challenge; Its source is indeed fitting the model and computing the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters. Data cloning is a new method to fit mixed models efficiently in a likelihood-based approach. This method has been popular recently and avoids the main problems of other likelihood-based methods in mixed models. A disadvantage of data cloning is its inability of computing the maximum of likelihood function of the model. This value is a key quantity in proposing and calculating information criteria. Therefore, it seems that we can not, directly, define an appropriate information criterion by data cloning approach. In this paper, this believe is broken and a criterion based on data cloning is introduced. The performance of the proposed model selection criterion is also evaluated by a simulation study.

Geostatistical spatial count data in finite populations can be seen in many applications, such as urban management and medicine. The traditional model for analyzing these data is the spatial logit-binomial model. In the most applied situations, these data have overdispersion alongside the spatial variability. The binomial model is not the appropriate candidate to account for the overdispersion. The proper alternative is a beta-binomial model that has sufficient flexibility to account for the extra variability due to the possible overdispersion of counts. In this paper, we describe a Bayesian spatial beta-binomial for geostatistical count data by using a combination of the integrated nested Laplace approximation and the stochastic partial differential equations methods. We apply the methodology for analyzing the number of people injured/killed in car crashes in Mashhad, Iran. We further evaluate the performance of the model using a simulation study.