Machine Learning Methods for One-Session Ahead Prediction of Accesses to Page Categories

This paper presents a comparison among several well-known machine learning techniques when they are used to carry out a one-session ahead prediction of page categories. We use records belonging to 18 different categories accessed by users on the citizen web portal Infoville XXI. Our first approach is focused on predicting the frequency of accesses (normalized to the unity) corresponding to the user’s next session. We have utilized Associative Memories (AMs), Classification and Regression Trees (CARTs), Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs), and Support Vector Machines (SVMs). The Success Ratio (SR) averaged over all services is higher than 80% using any of these techniques. Nevertheless, given the …

Urban monitoring using multi-temporal SAR and multi-spectral data

In some key operational domains, the joint use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and multi-spectral sensors has shown to be a powerful tool for Earth observation. In this paper, we analyze the potentialities of combining interferometric SAR and multi-spectral data for urban area characterization and monitoring. This study is carried out following a standard multi-source processing chain. First, a pre-processing stage is performed taking into account the underlying physics, geometry, and statistical models for the data from each sensor. Second, two different methodologies, one for supervised and another for unsupervised approaches, are followed to obtain features that optimize the urban rela…

Perceptual Image Representations for Support Vector Machine Image Coding

Support-vector-machine image coding relies on the ability of SVMs for function approximation. The size and the profile of the e-insensitivity zone of the support vector regressor (SVR) at some specific image representation determines (a) the amount of selected support vectors (the compression ratio), and (b) the nature of the introduced error (the compression distortion). However, the selection of an appropriate image representation is a key issue for a meaningful design of the e-insensitivity profile. For example, in image-coding applications, taking human perception into account is of paramount relevance to obtain a good rate-distortion performance. However, depending on the accuracy of t…

Hyperspectral Image Classification with Kernels

The information contained in hyperspectral images allows the characterization, identification, and classification of land covers with improved accuracy and robustness. However, several critical problems should be considered in the classification of hyperspectral images, among which are (a) the high number of spectral channels, (b) the spatial variability of the spectral signature, (c) the high cost of true sample labeling, and (d) the quality of data. Recently, kernel methods have offered excellent results in this context. This chapter reviews the state-of-the-art hyperspectral image classifiers, presents two recently proposed kernel-based approaches, and systematically discusses the specif…

An Introduction to Kernel Methods

Machine learning has experienced a great advance in the eighties and nineties due to the active research in artificial neural networks and adaptive systems. These tools have demonstrated good results in many real applications, since neither a priori knowledge about the distribution of the available data nor the relationships among the independent variables should be necessarily assumed. Overfitting due to reduced training data sets is controlled by means of a regularized functional which minimizes the complexity of the machine. Working with high dimensional input spaces is no longer a problem thanks to the use of kernel methods. Such methods also provide us with new ways to interpret the cl…

Deep Importance Sampling based on Regression for Model Inversion and Emulation

Understanding systems by forward and inverse modeling is a recurrent topic of research in many domains of science and engineering. In this context, Monte Carlo methods have been widely used as powerful tools for numerical inference and optimization. They require the choice of a suitable proposal density that is crucial for their performance. For this reason, several adaptive importance sampling (AIS) schemes have been proposed in the literature. We here present an AIS framework called Regression-based Adaptive Deep Importance Sampling (RADIS). In RADIS, the key idea is the adaptive construction via regression of a non-parametric proposal density (i.e., an emulator), which mimics the posteri…

Regularized RBF Networks for Hyperspectral Data Classification

In this paper, we analyze several regularized types of Radial Basis Function (RBF) Networks for crop classification using hyperspectral images. We compare the regularized RBF neural network with Support Vector Machines (SVM) using the RBF kernel, and AdaBoost Regularized (ABR) algorithm using RBF bases, in terms of accuracy and robustness. Several scenarios of increasing input space dimensionality are tested for six images containing six crop classes. Also, regularization, sparseness, and knowledge extraction are paid attention.

Multi-dimensional Function Approximation and Regression Estimation

In this communication, we generalize the Support Vector Machines (SVM) for regression estimation and function approximation to multi-dimensional problems. We propose a multi-dimensional Support Vector Regressor (MSVR) that uses a cost function with a hyperspherical insensitive zone, capable of obtaining better predictions than using an SVM independently for each dimension. The resolution of the MSVR is achieved by an iterative procedure over the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. The proposed algorithm is illustrated by computers experiments.

Support Vector Machines for Crop Classification Using Hyperspectral Data

In this communication, we propose the use of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for crop classification using hyperspectral images. SVM are benchmarked to well–known neural networks such as multilayer perceptrons (MLP), Radial Basis Functions (RBF) and Co-Active Neural Fuzzy Inference Systems (CANFIS). Models are analyzed in terms of efficiency and robustness, which is tested according to their suitability to real–time working conditions whenever a preprocessing stage is not possible. This can be simulated by considering models with and without a preprocessing stage. Four scenarios (128, 6, 3 and 2 bands) are thus evaluated. Several conclusions are drawn: (1) SVM yield better outcomes than neura…

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Bioinformatics is a new, rapidly expanding field that uses computational approaches to answer biological questions (Baxevanis, 2005). These questions are answered by means of analyzing and mining biological data. The field of bioinformatics or computational biology is a multidisciplinary research and development environment, in which a variety of techniques from computer science, applied mathematics, linguistics, physics, and, statistics are used. The terms bioinformatics and computational biology are often used interchangeably (Baldi, 1998; Pevzner, 2000). This new area of research is driven by the wealth of data from high throughput genome projects, such as the human genome sequencing pro…

Hybrid Genetic Algorithms in Data Mining Applications

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are a class of problem solving techniques which have been successfully applied to a wide variety of hard problems (Goldberg, 1989). In spite of conventional GAs are interesting approaches to several problems, in which they are able to obtain very good solutions, there exist cases in which the application of a conventional GA has shown poor results. Poor performance of GAs completely depends on the problem. In general, problems severely constrained or problems with difficult objective functions are hard to be optimized using GAs. Regarding the difficulty of a problem for a GA there is a well established theory. Traditionally, this has been studied for binary encoded …

Proceedings of MLSP2012 [front matter]

Robust g-filter using support vector method

This Letter presents a new approach to time series modelling using the support vector machines (SVM). Although the g filter can provide stability in several time series models, the SVM is proposed here to provide robustness in the estimation of the g filter coefficients. Examples in chaotic time series prediction and channel equalization show the advantages of the joint SVM g filter. Publicado

Applications of Kernel Methods

In this chapter, we give a survey of applications of the kernel methods introduced in the previous chapter. We focus on different application domains that are particularly active in both direct application of well-known kernel methods, and in new algorithmic developments suited to a particular problem. In particular, we consider the following application fields: biomedical engineering (comprising both biological signal processing and bioinformatics), communications, signal, speech and image processing.

Retrieval of oceanic chlorophyll concentration with relevance vector machines

Abstract In this communication, we evaluate the performance of the relevance vector machine (RVM) for the estimation of biophysical parameters from remote sensing data. For illustration purposes, we focus on the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentrations from remote sensing reflectance just above the ocean surface. A variety of bio-optical algorithms have been developed to relate measurements of ocean radiance to in situ concentrations of phytoplankton pigments, and ultimately most of these algorithms demonstrate the potential of quantifying chlorophyll-a concentrations accurately from multispectral satellite ocean color data. Both satellite-derived data and in situ measurements are subject…

Discrete Time Signal Processing Framework with Support Vector Machines

Digital signal processing (DSP) of time series using SVM has been addressed in the literature with a straightforward application of the SVM kernel regression, but the assumption of independently distributed samples in regression models is not fulfilled by a time-series problem. Therefore, a new branch of SVM algorithms has to be developed for the advantageous application of SVM concepts when we process data with underlying time-series structure. In this chapter, we summarize our past, present, and future proposal for the SVM-DSP frame-work, which consists of several principles for creating linear and nonlinear SVM algorithms devoted to DSP problems. First, the statement of linear signal mod…

Spectral adaptation of hyperspectral flight lines using VHR contextual information

Abstract: Due to technological constraints, hyperspectral earth observation imagery are often a mosaic of overlapping flight lines collected in different passes over the area of interest. This causes variations in aqcuisition conditions such that the reflected spectrum can vary significantly between these flight lines. Partly, this problem is solved by atmospherical correction, but residual spectral differences often remain. A probabilistic domain adaptation framework based on graph matching using Hidden Markov Random Fields was recently proposed for transforming hyperspectral data from one image to better correspond to the other. This paper investigates the use of scale and angle invariant…

Correction of systematic spatial noise in push-broom hyperspectral sensors: application to CHRIS/PROBA images

Hyperspectral remote sensing images are affected by different types of noise. In addition to typical random noise, nonperiodic partially deterministic disturbance patterns generally appear in the data. These patterns, which are intrinsic to the image formation process, are characterized by a high degree of spatial and spectral coherence. We present a new technique that faces the problem of removing the spatially coherent noise known as vertical striping, usually found in images acquired by push-broom sensors. The developed methodology is tested on data acquired by the Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) onboard the Project for On-board Autonomy (PROBA) orbital platform, whi…