Passing data to forecast.lm using dplyr and do - r

Question

I am having trouble passing data to forecast.lm in a dplyr do. I want to make several models based on a a factor - hour - and the forecaste these models using new data.
Building on previous excellent examples here is my data example:
require(dplyr)
require(forecast)
# Training set
df.h <- data.frame(
hour = factor(rep(1:24, each = 100)),
price = runif(2400, min = -10, max = 125),
wind = runif(2400, min = 0, max = 2500),
temp = runif(2400, min = - 10, max = 25)
)
# Forecasting set
df.f <- data.frame(
hour = factor(rep(1:24, each = 10)),
wind = runif(240, min = 0, max = 2500),
temp = runif(240, min = - 10, max = 25)
)
# Bind training & forecasting
df <- rbind(df.h, data.frame(df.f, price=NA))
# Do a training model and then forecast using the new data
df <- rbind(df.h, data.frame(df.f, price=NA))
res <- group_by(df, hour) %>% do({
hist <- .[!is.na(.$price), ]
fore <- .[is.na(.$price), c('hour', 'wind', 'temp')]
fit <- Arima(hist$price, xreg = hist[,3:4], order = c(1,1,0))
data.frame(fore[], price=forecast.Arima(fit, xreg = fore[ ,2:3])$mean)
})
res
This works excellently with a time series model, but using a lm I have problem passing the data into the forecasting part.
My corresponding lm example looks like this:
res <- group_by(df, hour) %>% do({
hist <- .[!is.na(.$price), ]
fore <- .[is.na(.$price), c('hour', 'wind', 'temp')]
fit <- lm(hist$price ~ wind + temp, data = hist)
data.frame(fore[], price = forecast.lm(fit, newdata = fore[, 2:3])$mean)
})
The problem is that I cant' get data into the newdata = function. If you add hist$ in the fit section, you can't reference the forecast data, and for some reason if you add data = fore it can't find it - but it can in the time series example.

Answer 1

The problem is that forecast.lm expects that fit has a data component. If you use glm or tslm, that is true. But lm objects don't generally have a data component. So you need to manually add fit$data <- hist for forecast.lm to work properly.
res <- group_by(df, hour) %>% do({
hist <- .[!is.na(.$price), ]
fore <- .[is.na(.$price), c('hour', 'wind', 'temp')]
fit <- lm(price ~ wind + temp, data = hist)
fit$data <- hist # have to add data manually
data.frame(fore[], price = forecast.lm(fit, newdata = fore[, 2:3])$mean)
})
This is actually a known issue.