Combination of symbolic classifiers to improve predictive and descriptive power of ensembles

Author(s)

Flávia Cristina Bernardini

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC/SB)
• Defense date: 2002-05-17

Examining board members

Maria Carolina Monard; Juan Manuel Adán Coello; Hercules Antonio do Prado

• Advisor: Maria Carolina Monard
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS; Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações - USP
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação. Biblioteca Prof. Achille Bassi; ICMSC/T; B523cc

Abstract

The hypothesis quality induced by current machine learning algorithms depends mainly on the quantity and quality of features and examples used in the training phase. Frequently, hypothesis with low precision are obtained in experiments using large databases with a large number of irrelevant features. Thus, one active research area in machine learning is to investigate techniques able to extend the capacity of machine learning algorithms to process a large number of examples, features and classes. To learn concepts from large databases using machine learning algorithms, two approaches can be used. The first approach is based on a selection of relevant features and examples, and the second one is the ensemble approach. An ensemble is a set of classifiers whose individual decisions are combined in some way to classify a new case. Although ensembles classify new examples better than each individual classifier, they behave like black-boxes, since they do not offer any explanation to the user about their classification. The purpose of this work is to consider a form of symbolic classifiers combination to work with large databases. Given a large database, it is equally divided randomly in small databases. These small databases are supplied to one or more symbolic machine learning algorithms. After that, the rules from the resulting classifiers are combined into one classifier. To analise the viability of this proposal, was implemented a system in logic programming language Prolog, called RuleSystem. This system has two purposes; the first one, implemented by the Rule Analises Module, is to evaluate rules induced by symbolic machine learning algorithms; the second one, implemented by the Combination and Explanation Module, is to evaluate several forms of combining symbolic classifiers as well as to explain ensembled classification of new examples. Both principal modules constitute the Rule System. This work describes ensemble construction methods and combination of classifiers methods found in the literature; the project and documentation of RuleSystem; the methodology developed to document the RuleSystem; and the implementation of the Combination and Explanation Module. Two different case studies using the Combination and Explanation Module are described. The first case study uses an artificial database. Through the use of this artificial database, it was possible to improve several of the heuristics used by the the Combination and Explanation Module. A real database was used in the second case study. (AU)