Evolutionary dataset optimisation: learning algorithm quality through evolution

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we propose a novel method for learning how algorithms perform. Classically, algorithms are compared on a finite number of existing (or newly simulated) benchmark datasets based on some fixed metrics. The algorithm(s) with the smallest value of this metric are chosen to be the ‘best performing’. We offer a new approach to flip this paradigm. We instead aim to gain a richer picture of the performance of an algorithm by generating artificial data through genetic evolution, the purpose of which is to create populations of datasets for which a particular algorithm performs well on a given metric. These datasets can be studied so as to learn what attributes lead to a particular progression of a given algorithm. Following a detailed description of the algorithm as well as a brief description of an open source implementation, a case study in clustering is presented. This case study demonstrates the performance and nuances of the method which we call Evolutionary Dataset Optimisation. In this study, a number of known properties about preferable datasets for the clustering algorithms known as k-means and DBSCAN are realised in the generated datasets.