A Binary Neural Network Framework for Attribute Selection and Prediction

In this paper, we introduce an implementation of the attribute selection algorithm, Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) integrated with our k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) framework. Binary neural networks underpin our k-NN and allow us to create a unified framework for attribute selection, prediction and classification. We apply the framework to a real world application of predicting bus journey times from traffic sensor data and show how attribute selection can both speed our k-NN and increase the prediction accuracy by removing noise and redundant attributes from the data

A HADOOP-Based Framework for Parallel and Distributed Feature Selection

In this paper, we introduce a theoretical basis for a Hadoop-based framework for parallel and distributed feature selection. It is underpinned by an associative memory (binary) neural network which is highly amenable to parallel and distributed processing and fits with the Hadoop paradigm. There are many feature selectors described in the literature which all have various strengths and weaknesses. We present the implementation details of four feature selection algorithms constructed using our artificial neural network framework embedded in Hadoop MapReduce. Hadoop allows parallel and distributed processing so each feature selector can be processed in parallel and multiple feature selectors can be processed together in parallel allowing multiple feature selectors to be compared. We identify commonalities among the four features selectors. All can be processed in the framework using a single representation and the overall processing can also be greatly reduced by only processing the common aspects of the feature selectors once and propagating these aspects across all four feature selectors as necessary. This allows the best feature selector and the actual features to select to be identified for large and high dimensional data sets through exploiting the efficiency and flexibility of embedding the binary associative-memory neural network in Hadoop

Discretisation of Data in a Binary Neural k-Nearest Neighbour Algorithm

This paper evaluates several methods of discretisation (binning) within a k-Nearest Neighbour predictor. Our k-NN is constructed using binary neural networks which require continuous-valued data to be discretised to allow it to be mapped to the binary neural framework. Our approach uses discretisation coupled with robust encoding to map data sets onto the binary neural network. In this paper, we compare seven unsupervised discretisation methods for retrieval accuracy (prediction accuracy) across a range of well-known prediction data sets comprising time-series data. We analyse whether there is an optimal discretisation configuration for our k-NN. The analyses demonstrate that the configuration is data specific. Hence, we recommend running evaluations of a number of configurations, varying both the discretisation methods and the number of discretisation bins, using a test data set. This evaluation will pinpoint the optimum configuration for new data sets