Preference-Driven Classification Measure

Abstract

Classification is one of the main problems of machine learning, and assessing the quality of classification is one of the most topical tasks, all the more difficult as it depends on many factors. Many different measures have been proposed to assess the quality of the classification, often depending on the application of a specific classifier. However, in most cases, these measures are focused on binary classification, and for the problem of many decision classes, they are significantly simplified. Due to the increasing scope of classification applications, there is a growing need to select a classifier appropriate to the situation, including more complex data sets with multiple decision classes. This paper aims to propose a new measure of classifier quality assessment (called the preference-driven measure, abbreviated p-d), regardless of the number of classes, with the possibility of establishing the relative importance of each class. Furthermore, we propose a solution in which the classifier’s assessment can be adapted to the analyzed problem using a vector of preferences. To visualize the operation of the proposed measure, we present it first on an example involving two decision classes and then test its operation on real, multi-class data sets. Additionally, in this case, we demonstrate how to adjust the assessment to the user’s preferences. The results obtained allow us to confirm that the use of a preference-driven measure indicates that other classifiers are better to use according to preferences, particularly as opposed to the classical measures of classification quality assessment.