基于正样本和未标记样本的遥感图像分类方法

传统分类器的构建需要正样本和负样本两类数据。在遥感影像分类中,常出现这样一类情形：感兴趣的地物只有一种。由于标记样本耗时耗力,未标记样本往往容易获取并且包含有用信息,鉴于此,提出了一种基于正样本和未标记样本的遥感图像分类方法（PUL）。首先,根据正样本固有特征并结合支持向量数据描述（SVDD）从未标记集筛选出可信正负样本,再将其从未标记集中剔除;接着将其带入SVM训练,根据未标记集在分类器中的表现设立阈值,再从未标记集中筛选出相对可靠的正负样本;最后是加权SVM（Weighted SVM）过程,初始正样本及提取出的可靠正负样本权重为1,SVM训练筛选出的样本权重范围0~1。为验证PUL的有效性,在遥感影像进行分类实验,并与单类支持向量机（OC-SVM）、高斯数据描述（GDD）、支持向量数据描述（SVDD）、有偏SVM（Biased SVM）以及多类SVM分类对比,实验结果表明PUL提高了分类效果,优于上述单类分类方法及多类SVM方法。     

Differential prioritization in feature selection and classifier aggregation for multiclass microarray datasets

The high dimensionality of microarray datasets endows the task of multiclass tissue classification with various difficulties—the main challenge being the selection of features deemed relevant and non-redundant to form the predictor set for classifier training. The necessity of varying the emphases on relevance and redundancy, through the use of the degree of differential prioritization (DDP) during the search for the predictor set is also of no small importance. Furthermore, there are several types of decomposition technique for the feature selection (FS) problem—all-classes-at-once, one-vs.-all (OVA) or pairwise (PW). Also, in multiclass problems, there is the need to consider the type of classifier aggregation used—whether non-aggregated (a single machine), or aggregated (OVA or PW). From here, first we propose a systematic approach to combining the distinct problems of FS and classification. Then, using eight well-known multiclass microarray datasets, we empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of the DDP in various combinations of FS decomposition types and classifier aggregation methods. Aided by the variable DDP, feature selection leads to classification performance which is better than that of rank-based or equal-priorities scoring methods and accuracies higher than previously reported for benchmark datasets with large number of classes. Finally, based on several criteria, we make general recommendations on the optimal choice of the combination of FS decomposition type and classifier aggregation method for multiclass microarray datasets.     

Mapping vegetation and land cover in a large urban area using a multiple classifier system

Vegetation and land-cover information is critical for sustainable environmental management in urban areas. Remote sensing has increasingly been used to derive such information, yet it has been challenged by the spectral and spatial complexity in the urban environment. In this study, we developed a multiple classifier system (MCS) to help improve remote-sensing-based vegetation and land-cover mapping in a large metropolitan area. MCSs, although considered as an emerging hot topic and a promising trend in pattern recognition, have not received the attention it deserves in the remote-sensing community. Our work consisted of several components. First, we identified a group of commonly used pattern recognizers from different families of statistical learning algorithms as base classifiers. Then, we implemented them to derive land-cover information from a satellite image covering the study site. Last, we adopted a weighting and combination method to generate the final map. Results indicate that there is statistically significant difference in the classification accuracy between the MCS developed and each base classifier considered. Comparing with the base classifiers, the MCS produced not only about 5–8% higher overall classification accuracy but also the most stable categorical accuracies. Moreover, the MCS generated a larger accuracy improvement for spectrally complex classes than for relatively homogenous ones, suggesting its comparative advantage in reducing classification errors caused by class ambiguity. The novelties of our work are with the demonstration of how MCSs can be operationally used to improve image classification from large remote sensor data sets with complex patterns and with the insight into the behaviour of MCSs in relation to the complexity of individual classes. These findings can help promote the use of MCSs as an emerging premier approach for image classification by the remote-sensing community.     

A Fast Multiclass Classification Algorithm Based on Cooperative Clustering

We present a fast multiclass classification algorithm to address the multiclass problems with a new clustering method, namely cooperative clustering. In the method of cooperative clustering, we iteratively compute the cluster centers of all classes simultaneously. For every cluster center in a class, a cluster center in an adjacent class is selected and the pair of cluster centers is drawn towards the boundary. In this way, the data set around a class is found and the data set plus the data in this class can be trained to form a classifier. With cooperative clustering, one binary classifier in the one-vs-all approach can be trained with far less samples. Furthermore, a kNN method is proposed to accelerate the classifying procedure. With this algorithm, both training and classification efficiency are improved with a slight impact on classification accuracy.     

Comparing Combination Rules of Pairwise Neural Networks Classifiers

A decomposition approach to multiclass classification problems consists in decomposing a multiclass problem into a set of binary ones. Decomposition splits the complete multiclass problem into a set of smaller classification problems involving only two classes (binary classification: dichotomies). With a decomposition, one has to define a recombination which recomposes the outputs of the dichotomizers in order to solve the original multiclass problem. There are several approaches to the decomposition, the most famous ones being one-against-all and one-against-one also called pairwise. In this paper, we focus on pairwise decomposition approach to multiclass classification with neural networks as the base learner for the dichotomies. We are primarily interested in the different possible ways to perform the so-called recombination (or decoding). We review standard methods used to decode the decomposition generated by a one-against-one approach. New decoding methods are proposed and compared to standard methods. A stacking decoding is also proposed which consists in replacing the whole decoding or a part of it by a trainable classifier to arbiter among the conflicting predictions of the pairwise classifiers. Proposed methods try to cope with the main problem while using pairwise decomposition: the use of irrelevant classifiers. Substantial gain is obtained on all datasets used in the experiments. Based on the above, we provide future research directions which consider the recombination problem as an ensemble method.     

Land-cover classification from multiple classifiers using decision fusion based on the probabilistic graphical model

A novel method of using different classification algorithms in an integrated manner by adaptively weighted decision level fusion was proposed. The proposed fusion scheme involves two steps. First, we processed the data using each classifier separately and provided probability estimations for each pixel of the considered classes. Then, the results are aggregated on the basis of the decision rule of probabilistic graphical model according to the capabilities of classifiers and ancillary information. The method was tested and validated through the Landsat 8 operational land imager data using two different classifiers, namely, maximum likelihood classifier and support vector machine. The proposed method provided higher accuracy improvement than the separate use of different classifiers and that complex landscapes, such as mountainous regions, have higher accuracy improvement than the relatively homogenous ones. Moreover, the method can handle more than two types of classifiers and effectively introduce additional ancillary information for adaptive weight selection. These findings can help promote our proposed method as an emerging approach for land-cover classification through remote sensing technology.     

A comparison of multiple classifier combinations using different voting-weights for remote sensing image classification

Remote sensing image classification is a common application of remote sensing images. In order to improve the performance of Remote sensing image classification, multiple classifier combinations are used to classify the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (Landsat-8 OLI) images. Some techniques and classifier combination algorithms are investigated. The classifier ensemble consisting of five member classifiers is constructed. The results of every member classifier are evaluated. The voting strategy is experimented to combine the classification results of the member classifier. The results show that all the classifiers have different performances and the multiple classifier combination provides better performance than a single classifier, and achieves higher overall accuracy of classification. The experiment shows that the multiple classifier combination using producer’s accuracy as voting-weight (MCC_mod2 and MCC_mod3) present higher classification accuracy than the algorithm using overall accuracy as voting-weight (MCC_mod1).And the multiple classifier combinations using different voting-weights affected the classification result in different land-cover types. The multiple classifier combination algorithm presented in this article using voting-weight based on the accuracy of multiple classifier may have stability problems, which need to be addressed in future studies.     

一种基于模糊关联分类的遥感图像分类方法

遥感图像分类是遥感领域的研究热点之一.提出了一种基于自适应区间划分的模糊关联遥感图像分类方法(fuzzy associative remote sensing classification,FARSC).算法根据遥感图像分类的特点,利用模糊C均值聚类算法自适应地建立连续型属性模糊区间,使用新的剪枝策略对项集进行筛选从而避免生成无用规则,采用一种新的规则重要性度量方法对多模糊分类规则进行融合,从而有效地提高分类效率和精确度.在UCI数据和遥感图像上所作实验结果表明,算法具有较高的分类精度以及对样本数量变化的不敏感性,对于解决遥感图像分类问题,FARSC算法具有较高的实用性,是一种有效的遥感图像分类方法.     

Improving specific class mapping from remotely sensed data by cost-sensitive learning

In many remote-sensing projects, one is usually interested in a small number of land-cover classes present in a study area and not in all the land-cover classes that make-up the landscape. Previous studies in supervised classification of satellite images have tackled specific class mapping problem by isolating the classes of interest and combining all other classes into one large class, usually called others, and by developing a binary classifier to discriminate the class of interest from the others. Here, this approach is called focused approach. The strength of the focused approach is to decompose the original multi-class supervised classification problem into a binary classification problem, focusing the process on the discrimination of the class of interest. Previous studies have shown that this method is able to discriminate more accurately the classes of interest when compared with the standard multi-class supervised approach. However, it may be susceptible to data imbalance problems present in the training data set, since the classes of interest are often a small part of the training set. A result the classification may be biased towards the largest classes and, thus, be sub-optimal for the discrimination of the classes of interest. This study presents a way to minimize the effects of data imbalance problems in specific class mapping using cost-sensitive learning. In this approach errors committed in the minority class are treated as being costlier than errors committed in the majority class. Cost-sensitive approaches are typically implemented by weighting training data points accordingly to their importance to the analysis. By changing the weight of individual data points, it is possible to shift the weight from the larger classes to the smaller ones, balancing the data set. To illustrate the use of the cost-sensitive approach to map specific classes of interest, a series of experiments with weighted support vector machines classifier and Landsat Thematic Mapper data were conducted to discriminate two types of mangrove forest (high-mangrove and low-mangrove) in Saloum estuary, Senegal, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation World Heritage site. Results suggest an increase in overall classification accuracy with the use of cost-sensitive method (97.3%) over the standard multi-class (94.3%) and the focused approach (91.0%). In particular, cost-sensitive method yielded higher sensitivity and specificity values on the discrimination of the classes of interest when compared with the standard multi-class and focused approaches.     

基于模糊高斯基函数神经网络的遥感图像分类

针对遥感图像分类的特点,提出了一种基于模糊高斯基函数神经网络的遥感图像分类器。该分类器将模糊技术与神经网络相结合,采用神经网络来实现模糊推理,利用神经网络的学习能力来达到调整模糊隶属函数和模型规则的目的,从而使系统具备了自适应的特性,实验结果表明,这种基于模糊高斯基孙数神经网络的分类器经过训练后,可应用于遥感图像的分类,其分类精度明显高于传统的最大似然分类法。     

A sequential multi-category classifier using radial basis function networks

This paper presents a new sequential multi-category classifier using radial basis function (SMC-RBF) network for real-world classification problems. The classification algorithm processes the training data one by one and builds the RBF network starting with zero hidden neuron. The growth criterion uses the misclassification error, the approximation error to the true decision boundary and a distance measure between the current sample and the nearest neuron belonging to the same class. SMC-RBF uses the hinge loss function (instead of the mean square loss function) for a more accurate estimate of the posterior probability. For network parameter updates, a decoupled extended Kalman filter is used to reduce the computational overhead. Performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using three benchmark problems, viz., image segmentation, vehicle and glass from the UCI machine learning repository. In addition, performance comparison has also been done on two real-world problems in the areas of remote sensing and bio-informatics. The performance of the proposed SMC-RBF classifier is also compared with the other RBF sequential learning algorithms like MRAN, GAP-RBFN, OS-ELM and the well-known batch classification algorithm SVM. The results indicate that SMC-RBF produces a higher classification accuracy with a more compact network. Also, the study indicates that using a function approximation algorithm for classification problems may not work well when the classes are not well separated and the training data is not uniformly distributed among the classes.     

An approach to the automatic design of multiple classifier systems

Multiple classifier systems (MCSs) based on the combination of outputs of a set of different classifiers have been proposed in the field of pattern recognition as a method for the development of high performance classification systems. Previous work clearly showed that multiple classifier systems are effective only if the classifiers forming them are accurate and make different errors. Therefore, the fundamental need for methods aimed to design “accurate and diverse” classifiers is currently acknowledged. In this paper, an approach to the automatic design of multiple classifier systems is proposed. Given an initial large set of classifiers, our approach is aimed at selecting the subset made up of the most accurate and diverse classifiers. A proof of the optimality of the proposed design approach is given. Reported results on the classification of multisensor remote sensing images show that this approach allows the design of effective multiple classifier systems.     

A review on the combination of binary classifiers in multiclass problems

Several real problems involve the classification of data into categories or classes. Given a data set containing data whose classes are known, Machine Learning algorithms can be employed for the induction of a classifier able to predict the class of new data from the same domain, performing the desired discrimination. Some learning techniques are originally conceived for the solution of problems with only two classes, also named binary classification problems. However, many problems require the discrimination of examples into more than two categories or classes. This paper presents a survey on the main strategies for the generalization of binary classifiers to problems with more than two classes, known as multiclass classification problems. The focus is on strategies that decompose the original multiclass problem into multiple binary subtasks, whose outputs are combined to obtain the final prediction.     

基于多核学习的多特征融合图像分类研究

图像分类任务是计算机视觉中的一个重要研究方向。组合多种特征在一定程度上能够使得图像分类准确度得到提高。然而,如何组合多种图像特征是一个悬而未决的难题。提出了一种基于多类多核学习的多特征融合算法,并应用到图像分类任务。算法在有效地利用多核学习自动选取对当前任务有价值特征的优势的同时,避免了在多核学习中将多类问题分解为多个二分问题。在图像特征表示方面,使用字典自学习方法。实验结果表明,提出的算法能够有效地提高图像分类的准确度。     

A cluster-assumption based batch mode active learning technique

In this paper, we propose an active learning technique for solving multiclass problems with support vector machine (SVM) classifiers. The technique is based on both uncertainty and diversity criteria. The uncertainty criterion is implemented by analyzing the one-dimensional output space of the SVM classifier. A simple histogram thresholding algorithm is used to find out the low density region in the SVM output space to identify the most uncertain samples. Then the diversity criterion exploits the kernel k-means clustering algorithm to select uncorrelated informative samples among the selected uncertain samples. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed method we compared it with other batch mode active learning techniques presented in the literature using one toy data set and three real data sets. Experimental results confirmed that the proposed technique provided a very good tradeoff among robustness to biased initial training samples, classification accuracy, computational complexity, and number of new labeled samples necessary to reach the convergence.     

Classification error in Bayes multistage recognition task with fuzzy observations

The paper considers the problem of classification error in multistage pattern recognition. This model of classification is based primarily on the Bayes rule and secondarily on the notion of fuzzy numbers. In adopting a probability-fuzzy model two concepts of hierarchical rules are proposed. In the first approach the local criterion that denote the probabilities of misclassification for particular nodes of a tree is considered. In the second approach the global optimal strategy that minimises the mean probability of misclassification on the whole multistage recognition process is considered. A probability of misclassifications is derived for a multiclass hierarchical classifier under the assumption that the features at different nodes of the tree are class-conditionally statistically independent, and we have fuzzy information on object features instead of exact information. Numerical example of this difference concludes the work.     

A new fast algorithm for multiclass hyperspectral image classification with SVM

The support vector machine (SVM) has been a dominant machine-learning technique in the last decade and has demonstrated its efficiency in many applications. Research on classification of hyperspectral images have shown the efficiency of this method to overcome the Hughes phenomenon for classification of such images. A major drawback of classification by SVM is that this classifier was originally developed to solve binary problems, and the algorithms for multiclass problems usually have a high-computational load. In this article, a new and fast method for multiclass problems is proposed. This method has two stages. In the first stage, samples are classified by a maximum likelihood (ML) classifier, and in the second stage, SVM selects the final label of a sample among high-probability classes for that sample by a tree structure. So, for each sample, only some classes must be searched by SVM to find its label. The uncertainty of ML classification for a sample is obtained by the entropy of probabilities, and the number of classes that must be searched by SVM for a sample is obtained based on the uncertainty of that sample in the primary ML classification. This approach is compared with two widely used multiclass algorithms: one-against-one (OAO) and directed acyclic graph (DAGSVM). The obtained results on real data from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) revealed less computational time and better accuracy compared to these multiclass algorithms.     

基于改进决策树分类算法的遥感影像分类研究

针对现有分类器对遥感影像分类结果存不准确的问题,本文提出了一种基于决策树分类器的遥感影像分类方法,该方法以复合决策树Boost Tree思想为基础,首先利用分形理论中的毯模型提取遥感影像的纹理特征,根据遥感影像分类的特点,构造新的单棵决策树生成算法对遥感影像进行分类。以北京市五环内区域为研究区,使用landsat7 ETM数据源,实现了基于分形纹理特征、光谱特征的改进决策树分类。实验结果表明：通过毯模型提取的纹理特征可以很好地表达表面特征,辅以该纹理信息的改进决策树分类精度相比于只用光谱信息进行分类的精度有一定的提高,改善了分类效果。     

基于数据融合的多特征遥感图像分类

以多光谱图像为研究对象，综合利用遥感图像的光谱、纹理和数学变换特征，提出了一种基于数据融合的多特征遥感地物分类方法。该方法针对不同的特征分别构造了神经网络分类器和K-均值聚类器，并对前者利用Adaboost算法进行提升，然后再将各特征的分类结果利用证据理论合成公式融合得到最终结果。实验结果表明，该方法的分类效果要优于单特征的分类结果。     

Analysis of classification accuracy for pre-filtered multichannel remote sensing data

Noise is one of the main factors degrading the quality of original multichannel remote sensing data and its presence influences classification efficiency, object detection, etc. Thus, pre-filtering is often used to remove noise and improve the solving of final tasks of multichannel remote sensing. Recent studies indicate that a classical model of additive noise is not adequate enough for images formed by modern multichannel sensors operating in visible and infrared bands. However, this fact is often ignored by researchers designing noise removal methods and algorithms. Because of this, we focus on the classification of multichannel remote sensing images in the case of signal-dependent noise present in component images. Three approaches to filtering of multichannel images for the considered noise model are analysed, all based on discrete cosine transform in blocks. The study is carried out not only in terms of conventional efficiency metrics used in filtering (MSE) but also in terms of multichannel data classification accuracy (probability of correct classification, confusion matrix). The proposed classification system combines the pre-processing stage where a DCT-based filter processes the blocks of the multichannel remote sensing image and the classification stage. Two modern classifiers are employed, radial basis function neural network and support vector machines. Simulations are carried out for three-channel image of Landsat TM sensor. Different cases of learning are considered: using noise-free samples of the test multichannel image, the noisy multichannel image and the pre-filtered one. It is shown that the use of the pre-filtered image for training produces better classification in comparison to the case of learning for the noisy image. It is demonstrated that the best results for both groups of quantitative criteria are provided if a proposed 3D discrete cosine transform filter equipped by variance stabilizing transform is applied. The classification results obtained for data pre-filtered in different ways are in agreement for both considered classifiers. Comparison of classifier performance is carried out as well. The radial basis neural network classifier is less sensitive to noise in original images, but after pre-filtering the performance of both classifiers is approximately the same.