ART Neural Networks for Remote Sensing Image Analysis

ART and ARTMAP neural networks for adaptive recognition and prediction have been applied to a variety of problems, including automatic mapping from remote sensing satellite measurements, parts design retrieval at the Boeing Company, medical database prediction, and robot vision. This paper features a self-contained introduction to ART and ARTMAP dynamics. An application of these networks to image processing is illustrated by means of a remote sensing example. The basic ART and ARTMAP networks feature winner-take-all (WTA) competitive coding, which groups inputs into discrete recognition categories. WTA coding in these networks enables fast learning, which allows the network to encode important rare cases but which may lead to inefficient category proliferation with noisy training inputs. This problem is partially solved by ART-EMAP, which use WTA coding for learning but distributed category representations for test-set prediction. Recently developed ART models (dART and dARTMAP) retain stable coding, recognition, and prediction, but allow arbitrarily distributed category representation during learning as well as performance

Speaker Normalization Using Cortical Strip Maps: A Neural Model for Steady State Vowel Identification

Auditory signals of speech are speaker-dependent, but representations of language meaning are speaker-independent. Such a transformation enables speech to be understood from different speakers. A neural model is presented that performs speaker normalization to generate a pitchindependent representation of speech sounds, while also preserving information about speaker identity. This speaker-invariant representation is categorized into unitized speech items, which input to sequential working memories whose distributed patterns can be categorized, or chunked, into syllable and word representations. The proposed model fits into an emerging model of auditory streaming and speech categorization. The auditory streaming and speaker normalization parts of the model both use multiple strip representations and asymmetric competitive circuits, thereby suggesting that these two circuits arose from similar neural designs. The normalized speech items are rapidly categorized and stably remembered by Adaptive Resonance Theory circuits. Simulations use synthesized steady-state vowels from the Peterson and Barney [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 24, 175-184 (1952)] vowel database and achieve accuracy rates similar to those achieved by human listeners. These results are compared to behavioral data and other speaker normalization models.National Science Foundation (SBE-0354378); Office of Naval Research (N00014-01-1-0624

Speaker Normalization Using Cortical Strip Maps: A Neural Model for Steady State vowel Categorization

Auditory signals of speech are speaker-dependent, but representations of language meaning are speaker-independent. The transformation from speaker-dependent to speaker-independent language representations enables speech to be learned and understood from different speakers. A neural model is presented that performs speaker normalization to generate a pitch-independent representation of speech sounds, while also preserving information about speaker identity. This speaker-invariant representation is categorized into unitized speech items, which input to sequential working memories whose distributed patterns can be categorized, or chunked, into syllable and word representations. The proposed model fits into an emerging model of auditory streaming and speech categorization. The auditory streaming and speaker normalization parts of the model both use multiple strip representations and asymmetric competitive circuits, thereby suggesting that these two circuits arose from similar neural designs. The normalized speech items are rapidly categorized and stably remembered by Adaptive Resonance Theory circuits. Simulations use synthesized steady-state vowels from the Peterson and Barney [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 24, 175-184 (1952)] vowel database and achieve accuracy rates similar to those achieved by human listeners. These results are compared to behavioral data and other speaker normalization models.National Science Foundation (SBE-0354378); Office of Naval Research (N00014-01-1-0624

ARTMAP-FTR: A Neural Network For Fusion Target Recognition, With Application To Sonar Classification

ART (Adaptive Resonance Theory) neural networks for fast, stable learning and prediction have been applied in a variety of areas. Applications include automatic mapping from satellite remote sensing data, machine tool monitoring, medical prediction, digital circuit design, chemical analysis, and robot vision. Supervised ART architectures, called ARTMAP systems, feature internal control mechanisms that create stable recognition categories of optimal size by maximizing code compression while minimizing predictive error in an on-line setting. Special-purpose requirements of various application domains have led to a number of ARTMAP variants, including fuzzy ARTMAP, ART-EMAP, ARTMAP-IC, Gaussian ARTMAP, and distributed ARTMAP. A new ARTMAP variant, called ARTMAP-FTR (fusion target recognition), has been developed for the problem of multi-ping sonar target classification. The development data set, which lists sonar returns from underwater objects, was provided by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Coastal Systems Station (CSS), Dahlgren Division. The ARTMAP-FTR network has proven to be an effective tool for classifying objects from sonar returns. The system also provides a procedure for solving more general sensor fusion problems.Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-I-0409, N00014-95-I-0657

ART and ARTMAP Neural Networks for Applications: Self-Organizing Learning, Recognition, and Prediction

ART and ARTMAP neural networks for adaptive recognition and prediction have been applied to a variety of problems. Applications include parts design retrieval at the Boeing Company, automatic mapping from remote sensing satellite measurements, medical database prediction, and robot vision. This chapter features a self-contained introduction to ART and ARTMAP dynamics and a complete algorithm for applications. Computational properties of these networks are illustrated by means of remote sensing and medical database examples. The basic ART and ARTMAP networks feature winner-take-all (WTA) competitive coding, which groups inputs into discrete recognition categories. WTA coding in these networks enables fast learning, that allows the network to encode important rare cases but that may lead to inefficient category proliferation with noisy training inputs. This problem is partially solved by ART-EMAP, which use WTA coding for learning but distributed category representations for test-set prediction. In medical database prediction problems, which often feature inconsistent training input predictions, the ARTMAP-IC network further improves ARTMAP performance with distributed prediction, category instance counting, and a new search algorithm. A recently developed family of ART models (dART and dARTMAP) retains stable coding, recognition, and prediction, but allows arbitrarily distributed category representation during learning as well as performance.National Science Foundation (IRI 94-01659, SBR 93-00633); Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409, N00014-95-0657

Default ARTMAP

The default ARTMAP algorithm and its parameter values specified here define a ready-to-use general-purpose neural network system for supervised learning and recognition.Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-01-1-0397, F49620-01-1-0423) Office of Naval Research (N00014-01-1-0624

ARTMAP Neural Network Classification of Land Use Change

The ability to detect and monitor changes in land use is essential for assessment of the sustainability of development. In the next decade, NASA will gather high-resolution multi-spectral and multi-temporal data, which could be used for detecting and monitoring long-term changes. Existing methods are insufficient for detecting subtle long-term changes from high-dimensional data. This project employs neural network architectures as alternatives to conventional systems for classifying changes in the status of agricultural lands from a sequence of satellite images. Landsat TM imagery of the Nile River delta provides a testbed for these land use change classification methods. A sequence often images was taken, at various times of year, from 1984 to 1993. Field data were collected during the summer of 1993 at88 sites in the Nile Delta and surrounding desert areas. Ground truth data for 231 additional sites were determined by expert site assessment at the Boston University Center for Remote Sensing. The field observations are grouped into classes including urban, reduced productivity agriculture, agriculture in delta, desert/coast reclamation, wetland reclamation, and agriculture in desert/coast. Reclamation classes represent land use changes. A particular challenge posed by this database is the unequal representation of various land use categories: urban and agriculture in delta pixels comprise the vast majority of the ground truth data available in the database. A new, two-step training data selection method was introduced to enable unbiased training of neural network systems on sites with unequal numbers of pixels. Data were successfully classified by using multi-date feature vectors containing data from all of the available satellite images as inputs to the neural network system.National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship; National Science Foundation (SBR 95-13889); Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-I-409, N00014-95-0657); Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-0l-1-0397)

Distributed ARTMAP

Distributed coding at the hidden layer of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) endows the network with memory compression and noise tolerance capabilities. However, an MLP typically requires slow off-line learning to avoid catastrophic forgetting in an open input environment. An adaptive resonance theory (ART) model is designed to guarantee stable memories even with fast on-line learning. However, ART stability typically requires winner-take-all coding, which may cause category proliferation in a noisy input environment. Distributed ARTMAP (dARTMAP) seeks to combine the computational advantages of MLP and ART systems in a real-time neural network for supervised learning. This system incorporates elements of the unsupervised dART model as well as new features, including a content-addressable memory (CAM) rule. Simulations show that dARTMAP retains fuzzy ARTMAP accuracy while significantly improving memory compression. The model's computational learning rules correspond to paradoxical cortical data.Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409, N00014-95-1-0657

ARTMAP-FTR: A Neural Network for Object Recognition Through Sonar on a Mobile Robot

ART (Adaptive Resonance Theory) neural networks for fast, stable learning and prediction have been applied in a variety of areas. Applications include automatic mapping from satellite remote sensing data, machine tool monitoring, medical prediction, digital circuit design, chemical analysis, and robot vision. Supervised ART architectures, called ARTMAP systems, feature internal control mechanisms that create stable recognition categories of optimal size by maximizing code compression while minimizing predictive error in an on-line setting. Special-purpose requirements of various application domains have led to a number of ARTMAP variants, including fuzzy ARTMAP, ART-EMAP, ARTMAP-IC, Gaussian ARTMAP, and distributed ARTMAP. A new ARTMAP variant, called ARTMAP-FTR (fusion target recognition), has been developed for the problem of multi-ping sonar target classification. The development data set, which lists sonar returns from underwater objects, was provided by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Coastal Systems Station (CSS), Dahlgren Division. The ARTMAP-FTR network has proven to be an effective tool for classifying objects from sonar returns. The system also provides a procedure for solving more general sensor fusion problems.Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-I-0409, N00014-95-I-0657