  We apply nonparametric Bayesian methods to study the problem of estimating
the intensity function of an inhomogeneous Poisson process. We exhibit a prior
on intensities which both leads to a computationally feasible method and enjoys
desirable theoretical optimality properties. The prior we use is based on
B-spline expansions with free knots, adapted from well-established methods used
in regression, for instance. We illustrate its practical use in the Poisson
process setting by analyzing count data coming from a call centre.
Theoretically we derive a new general theorem on contraction rates for
posteriors in the setting of intensity function estimation. Practical choices
that have to be made in the construction of our concrete prior, such as
choosing the priors on the number and the locations of the spline knots, are
based on these theoretical findings. The results assert that when properly
constructed, our approach yields a rate-optimal procedure that automatically
adapts to the regularity of the unknown intensity function.
