Improving Performance in Neural Networks Using a Boosting Algorithm

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

A boosting algorithm converts a learning machine with error rate less than 50% to one with an arbitrarily low error rate. However, the algorithm discussed here depends on having a large supply of independent training samples. We show how to circumvent this problem and generate an ensemble of learning machines whose performance in optical character recognition problems is dramatically improved over that of a single network. We report the effect of boosting on four databases (all handwritten) consisting of 12,000 digits from segmented ZIP codes from the United State Postal Service (USPS) and the following from the National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST): 220,000 digits, 45,000 upper case alphas, and 45,000 lower case alphas. We use two performance measures: the raw error rate (no rejects) and the reject rate required to achieve a 1% error rate on the patterns not rejected. Boosting improved performance in some cases by a factor of three.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdvances in Neural Information Processing Systems 5, NIPS 1992
EditorsStephen Jose Hanson, Jack D. Cowan, C. Lee Giles
PublisherNeural information processing systems foundation
Pages42-49
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)1558602747, 9781558602748
DOIs
StatePublished - 1992
Externally publishedYes
Event5th Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, NIPS 1992 - Denver, United States
Duration: Nov 30 1992Dec 3 1992

Publication series

NameAdvances in Neural Information Processing Systems
Volume5
ISSN (Print)1049-5258

Conference

Conference5th Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, NIPS 1992
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDenver
Period11/30/9212/3/92

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Signal Processing
  • Information Systems
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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