Tracking recurring contexts using ensemble classifiers: an application to email filtering

Concept drift constitutes a challenging problem for the machine learning and data mining community that frequently appears in real world stream classification problems. It is usually defined as the unforeseeable concept change of the target variable in a prediction task. In this paper, we focus on the problem of recurring contexts, a special sub-type of concept drift, that has not yet met the proper attention from the research community. In the case of recurring contexts, concepts may re-appear in future and thus older classification models might be beneficial for future classifications. We propose a general framework for classifying data streams by exploiting stream clustering in order to dynamically build and update an ensemble of incremental classifiers. To achieve this, a transformation function that maps batches of examples into a new conceptual representation model is proposed. The clustering algorithm is then applied in order to group batches of examples into concepts and identify recurring contexts. The ensemble is produced by creating and maintaining an incremental classifier for every concept discovered in the data stream. An experimental study is performed using (a) two new real-world concept drifting datasets from the email domain, (b) an instantiation of the proposed framework and (c) five methods for dealing with drifting concepts. Results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed representation and the suitability of the concept-specific classifiers for problems with recurring contexts.     

Online Learning Model for Handling Different Concept Drifts Using Diverse Ensemble Classifiers on Evolving Data Streams

Abstract

The rapid growth of the information technology accelerates organizations to generate vast volumes of high-velocity data streams. The concept drift is a crucial issue, and discovering the sequential patterns over data streams are more challenging. The ensemble classifiers incrementally learn the data for providing quick reaction to the concept drifts. The ensemble classifiers have to process both the gradual and sudden concept drifts that happen in the real-time data streams. Thus, a novel ensemble classifier is essential that significantly reacting to various types of concept drifts quickly and maintaining the classification accuracy. This work proposes the stream data mining on the fly using an adaptive online learning rule (SOAR) model to handle both the gradual and sudden pattern changes and improves mining accuracy. Adding the number of classifiers fails because the ensemble tends to include redundant classifiers instead of high-quality ones. Thus, the SOAR includes different diversity levels of classifiers in the ensemble to provide fast recovery from both the concept drifts. Moreover, the SOAR synthesizes the essential features of the block and online-based ensemble and updates the weight of each classifier, regarding its quality. It facilitates adaptive windowing to handle both gradual and sudden concept drifts. To reduce the computational cost and analyze the data stream quickly, the SOAR caches the occurred primitive patterns into a bitmap with the internal relationship. Finally, the experimental results show that the SOAR performs better classification and accuracy over data streams.     

Preprocessed dynamic classifier ensemble selection for highly imbalanced drifted data streams

This work aims to connect two rarely combined research directions, i.e., non-stationary data stream classification and data analysis with skewed class distributions. We propose a novel framework employing stratified bagging for training base classifiers to integrate data preprocessing and dynamic ensemble selection methods for imbalanced data stream classification. The proposed approach has been evaluated based on computer experiments carried out on 135 artificially generated data streams with various imbalance ratios, label noise levels, and types of concept drift as well as on two selected real streams. Four preprocessing techniques and two dynamic selection methods, used on both bagging classifiers and base estimators levels, were considered. Experimentation results showed that, for highly imbalanced data streams, dynamic ensemble selection coupled with data preprocessing could outperform online and chunk-based state-of-art methods.     

一种基于Tri-training的数据流集成分类算法

数据流分类是数据挖掘领域的重要研究任务之一,已有的数据流分类算法大多是在有标记数据集上进行训练,而实际应用领域数据流中有标记的数据数量极少。为解决这一问题,可通过人工标注的方式获取标记数据,但人工标注昂贵且耗时。考虑到未标记数据的数量极大且隐含大量信息,因此在保证精度的前提下,为利用这些未标记数据的信息,本文提出了一种基于Tri-training的数据流集成分类算法。该算法采用滑动窗口机制将数据流分块,在前k块含有未标记数据和标记数据的数据集上使用Tri-training训练基分类器,通过迭代的加权投票方式不断更新分类器直到所有未标记数据都被打上标记,并利用k个Tri-training集成模型对第ｋ＋１块数据进行预测,丢弃分类错误率高的分类器并在当前数据块上重建新分类器从而更新当前模型。在10个UCI数据集上的实验结果表明：与经典算法相比,本文提出的算法在含80%未标记数据的数据流上的分类精度有显著提高。     

复杂数据流在线集成分类算法综述

复杂数据流中所存在的概念漂移及不平衡问题降低了分类器的性能。传统的批量学习算法需要考虑内存以及运行时间等因素,在快速到达的海量数据流中性能并不突出,并且其中还包含着大量的漂移及类失衡现象,利用在线集成算法处理复杂数据流问题已经成为数据挖掘领域重要的研究课题。从集成策略的角度对bagging、boosting、stacking集成方法的在线版本进行了介绍与总结,并对比了不同模型之间的性能。首次对复杂数据流的在线集成分类算法进行了详细的总结与分析,从主动检测和被动自适应两个方面对概念漂移数据流检测与分类算法进行了介绍,从数据预处理和代价敏感两个方面介绍不平衡数据流,并分析了代表性算法的时空效率,之后对使用相同数据集的算法性能进行了对比。最后,针对复杂数据流在线集成分类研究领域的挑战提出了下一步研究方向。     

Ensemble Online Classifier Based on the One-Class Base Classifiers for Mining Data Streams

The problem addressed in this study concerns mining data streams with concept drift. The goal of the article is to propose and validate a new approach to mining data streams with concept-drift using the ensemble classifier constructed from the one-class base classifiers. It is assumed that base classifiers of the proposed ensemble are induced from incoming chunks of the data stream. Each chunk consists of prototypes and information about whether the class prediction of these instances, carried-out at earlier steps, has been correct. Each data chunk can be updated by using the instance selection technique when new data arrive. When a new data chunk is formed, the ensemble model is also updated on the basis of weights assigned to each one-class classifier. In this article, two well-known instance-based learning algorithms—the CNN and the ENN—have been adopted to solve the one-class classification problems and, consequently, update the proposed classifier ensemble. The proposed approaches have been validated experimentally, and the computational experiment results are shown and discussed. The experiment results prove that the proposed approach using the ensemble classifier constructed from the one-class base classifiers with instance selection for chunk updating can outperform well-known approaches for data streams with concept drift.     

一种基于混合集成方法的数据流概念漂移检测方法

近年来,数据流分类问题研究受到了普遍关注,而漂移检测是其中一个重要的研究问题。已有的分类模型有单一集成模型和混合模型,其漂移检测机制多基于理想的分布假设。单一模型集成可能导致分类误差扩大,噪音环境下分类效果受到了一定影响,而混合集成模型多存在分类精度和时间性能难以两者兼顾的问题。为此,基于简单的WE集成框架,构建了基于决策树和bayes混合模型的集成分类方法 WE-DTB,并利用典型的概念漂移检测机制Hoeffding Bounds和μ检验来进行数据流环境下概念漂移的检测和分类。大量实验表明,WE-DTB能够有效检测概念漂移且具有较好的分类精度及时空性能。     

A Low-Granularity Classifier for Data Streams with Concept Drifts and Biased Class Distribution

Many applications track streaming data for actionable alerts, which may include, for example, network intrusions, transaction frauds, bio-surveilence abnormalities, and so forth. Some stream classification models are built for this purpose. Due to concept drifts, maintaining a model's up-to-dateness has become one of the most challenging tasks in mining data streams. State-of-the-art approaches, including both the incrementally updated classifiers and the ensemble classifiers, have proved that model update is a very costly process. In this paper, we show that reducing model granularity reduces the update cost, as models of fine granularity enable us to efficiently pinpoint local components in the model that are affected by the concept drift. It also enables us to derive new model components to reflect the current data distribution, thus avoiding expensive updates on a global scale. Furthermore, those actionable alerts being monitored are usually rare occurrences. The existing stream classifiers cannot handle this problem. We address this problem and show that the low-granularity classifier handles rare events on stream data with ease. Experiments on real and synthetic data show that our approach is able to maintain good prediction accuracy at a fraction of the model updating cost of state-of-the-art approaches.     

Classifying text streams by keywords using classifier ensemble

Traditional approaches for text data stream classification usually require the manual labeling of a number of documents, which is an expensive and time consuming process. In this paper, to overcome this limitation, we propose to classify text streams by keywords without labeled documents so as to reduce the burden of labeling manually. We build our base text classifiers with the help of keywords and unlabeled documents to classify text streams, and utilize classifier ensemble algorithms to cope with concept drifting in text data streams. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can build good classifiers by keywords without manual labeling, and when the ensemble based algorithm is used, the concept drift in the streams can be well detected and adapted, which performs better than the single window algorithm.     

基于堆叠集成的数据流分类*

对数据流分类分析的常用方法是集成学习。为了得到更好的分类效果,给出一种基于堆叠集成的数据流分类分析方法。该方法通过构造一个分类器对基分类器进行集成。实验结果表明,与基于投票或加权投票的集成方法相比,基于堆叠集成方法对概念漂移的快速适应能力以及预测准确率得到了提高。     

基于Kappa系数的数据流分类算法

数据流挖掘已经成为数据挖掘领域一个热门的研究方向,由于数据流中概念漂移现象的存在,使得传统的分类算法无法直接应用于数据流中。为了能有效地应对数据流中的概念漂移,提出了一种基于Kappa系数的数据流分类算法。该算法采用集成式分类技术,以Kappa系数度量系统的分类性能,根据Kappa系数来动态地调整分类器,当发生概念漂移时,系统能利用已有的知识很快删除不符合要求的分类器来适应新概念。实验结果表明,相对于实验中参与比较的BWE,AE和AWE算法,该算法不但具有较好的分类性能,而且在一定程度上能较为有效地降低时间开销。     

隐含概念漂移的不确定数据流集成分类算法

近年来,数据流分类问题已经逐渐成为数据挖掘领域的一个研究热点,然而传统的数据流分类算法大多只能处理数据项已知并且为精确值的数据流,无法有效地应用于现实应用中普遍存在的不确定数据流。为建立适应数据不确定性的分类模型,提高不确定数据流分类准确率,提出一种针对不确定数据流的集成分类算法,该算法将不确定数据用区间及其概率分布函数表示,用C4.5决策树分类方法和朴素贝叶斯分类方法训练基分类器,在合理处理数据流中不确定性的同时,还能有效解决数据流中隐含的概念漂移问题。实验结果表明,所提算法在处理不确定数据流的分类时具有较好的鲁棒性,并且具有较高的分类准确率。     

Stream mining: a novel architecture for ensemble-based classification

Mining data streams has become an important and challenging task for a wide range of applications. In these scenarios, data tend to arrive in multiple, rapid and time-varying streams, thus constraining data mining algorithms to look at data only once. Maintaining an accurate model, e.g. a classifier, while the stream goes by requires a smart way of keeping track of the data already passed away. Such a synthetic structure has to serve two purposes: distilling the most of information out of past data and allowing a fast reaction to concept drifting, i.e. to the change of the data trend that necessarily affects the model. The paper outlines novel data structures and algorithms to tackle the above problem, when the model mined out of the data is a classifier. The introduced model and the overall ensemble architecture are presented in details, even considering how the approach can be extended for treating numerical attributes. A large part of the paper discusses the experiments and the comparisons with several existing systems. The comparisons show that the performance of our system in general, and in particular with respect to the reaction to concept drifting, is at the top level.     

基于相反分类器的数据流分类方法

目前挖掘概念流动的数据流已经成为研究的热点。概念流动的数据流分类在预防信用卡欺诈,网络入侵发现等应用中具有重要的应用。本文定义了一种相反分类器来从错误中学习,提出了训练一个集合分类器来对具有概念流动的数据流进行分类的算法IWB。通过在合成数据集和benchmark上的实验,与Weighted Baggging算法比较,表明我们的算法具有更高的准确度,更快地收敛到新的目标概念的性能。     

基于子空间集成的概念漂移数据流分类算法

具有概念漂移的复杂结构数据流分类问题已成为数据挖掘领域研究的热点之一。提出了一种新颖的子空间分类算法,并采用层次结构将其构成集成分类器用于解决带概念漂移的数据流的分类问题。在将数据流划分为数据块后,在每个数据块上利用子空间分类算法建立若干个底层分类器,然后由这几个底层分类器组成集成分类模型的基分类器。同时,引入数理统计中的参数估计方法检测概念漂移,动态调整模型。实验结果表明：该子空间集成算法不但能够提高分类模型对复杂类别结构数据流的分类精度,而且还能够快速适应概念漂移的情况。     

基于增量加权的不平衡漂移数据流分类算法

概念漂移是数据流学习领域中的一个难点问题,同时数据流中存在的类不平衡问题也会严重影响算法的分类性能。针对概念漂移和类不平衡的联合问题,在基于数据块集成的方法上引入在线更新机制,结合重采样和遗忘机制提出了一种增量加权集成的不平衡数据流分类方法(incremental weighted ensemble for imbalance learning, IWEIL)。该方法以集成框架为基础,利用基于可变大小窗口的遗忘机制确定基分类器对窗口内最近若干实例的分类性能,并计算基分类器的权重,随着新实例的逐个到达,在线更新IWEIL中每个基分器及其权重。同时,使用改进的自适应最近邻SMOTE方法生成符合新概念的新少数类实例以解决数据流中类不平衡问题。在人工数据集和真实数据集上进行实验,结果表明,相比于DWMIL算法,IWEIL在HyperPlane数据集上的G-mean和recall指标分别提升了5.77%和6.28%,在Electricity数据集上两个指标分别提升了3.25%和6.47%。最后,IWEIL在安卓应用检测问题上表现良好。     

具有回忆和遗忘机制的数据流挖掘模型与算法

集成式数据流挖掘是对存在概念漂移的数据流进行学习的重要方法.针对传统集成式数据流挖掘存在的缺陷,将人类的回忆和遗忘机制引入到数据流挖掘中,提出基于记忆的数据流挖掘模型MDSM(memorizing based data stream mining).该模型将基分类器看作是系统获得的知识,通过"回忆与遗忘"机制,不仅使历史上有用的基分类器因记忆强度高而保存在"记忆库"中,提高预测的稳定性,而且从"记忆库"中选取当前分类效果好的基分类器参与集成预测,以提高对概念变化的适应能力.基于MDSM模型,提出了一种集成式数据流挖掘算法MAE(memorizing based adaptive ensemble),该算法利用Ebbinghaus遗忘曲线对系统的遗忘机制进行设计,并利用选择性集成来模拟人类的"回忆"机制.与4种典型的数据流挖掘算法进行比较,结果表明:MAE算法分类精度高,对概念漂移的整体适应能力强,尤其对重复出现的概念漂移以及实际应用中存在的复杂概念漂移具有很好的适应能力.不仅能够快速适应新的概念变化,并且能够有效抵御随机的概念波动对系统性能的影响.     

概念漂移数据流挖掘算法综述

数据流是一种新型的数据模型,具有动态、无限、高维、有序、高速和变化等特性。在真实的数据流环境中,一些数据分布是随着时间改变的,即具有概念漂移特征,称为可变数据流或概念漂移数据流。因此处理数据流模型的方法需要处理时空约束和自适应调整概念变化。对概念漂移问题和概念漂移数据流分类、聚类和模式挖掘等内容进行综述。首先介绍概念漂移的类型和常用概念改变检测方法。为了解决概念漂移问题,数据流挖掘中常使用滑动窗口模型对新近事务进行处理。数据流分类常用的模型包括单分类模型和集成分类模型,常用的方法包括决策树、分类关联规则等。数据流聚类方式通常包括基于k- means的和非基于k- means的。模式挖掘可以为分类、聚类和关联规则等提供有用信息。概念漂移数据流中的模式包括频繁模式、序列模式、episode、模式树、模式图和高效用模式等。最后详细介绍其中的频繁模式挖掘算法和高效用模式挖掘算法。     

适于数据流组合分类的直推学习方法

在进行组合决策时,已有的组合分类方法需要对多个组合分类器均有效的公共已知标签训练样本。为了解决在没有已知标签样本的情况下数据流组合分类决策问题,提出一种基于约束学习的数据流组合分类器的融合策略。在判定测试样本上的决策时,根据直推学习理论设计满足每一个局部分类器约束度量的方法,保证了约束的可行性,解决了分布式分类聚集时最大熵的直推扩展问题。测试数据集上的实验证明,与已有的直推学习方法相比,此方法可以获得更好的决策精度,可以应用于数据流组合分类的融合。     

面向高速数据流的集成分类器算法

数据流挖掘要求算法在占用少量内存空间的前提下快速地处理数据并且自适应概念漂移,据此提出一种面向高速数据流的集成分类器算法。该算法将原始数据流沿着时间轴划分为若干数据块后,在各个数据块上计算所有类别的中心点和对应的子空间;此后将各个数据块上每个类别的中心点和对应的子空间集成作为分类模型,并利用统计理论的相关知识检测概念漂移,动态地调整模型。实验结果表明,该方法能够在自适应数据流概念漂移的前提下对数据流进行快速的分类,并得到较好的分类效果。