Human Activity Recognition (HAR) has been extensively studied, with recent emphasis on the implementation of advanced Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms for accurate classification. This study investigates the efficacy of two ML algorithms, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and MiniRocket, in the realm of HAR using data collected from smartphone sensors. The experiments are conducted on a dataset obtained from the UCI repository, comprising accelerometer and gyroscope signals captured from 30 volunteers performing various activities while wearing a smartphone. The dataset undergoes preprocessing, including noise filtering and feature extraction, before being utilized for training and testing the classifiers. Monte Carlo cross-validation is employed to evaluate the models' robustness. The findings reveal that both XGBoost and MiniRocket attain accuracy, F1 score, and AUC values as high as 0.99 in activity classification. XGBoost exhibits a slightly superior performance compared to MiniRocket. Notably, both algorithms surpass the performance of other ML and DL algorithms reported in the literature for HAR tasks. Additionally, the study compares the computational efficiency of the two algorithms, revealing XGBoost's advantage in terms of training time. Furthermore, the performance of MiniRocket, which achieves accuracy and F1 values of 0.94, and an AUC value of 0.96 using raw data and utilizing only one channel from the sensors, highlights the potential of directly leveraging unprocessed signals. It also suggests potential advantages that could be gained by utilizing sensor fusion or channel fusion techniques. Overall, this research sheds light on the effectiveness and computational characteristics of XGBoost and MiniRocket in HAR tasks, providing insights for future studies in activity recognition using smartphone sensor data.
The comparative performance of hierarchical classification (HC) and flat classification (FC) methodologies in the realm of time series data analysis is investigated in this study. Dissimilarity measures, including Jensen-Shannon Distance (JSD), Task Similarity Distance (TSD), and Classifier Based Distance (CBD), are leveraged alongside various classifiers such as MINIROCKET, STSF, and SVM. A subset of datasets from the UCR archive, focusing on multi-class cases comprising more than two classes, is employed for analysis. A significant trend is observed wherein HC demonstrates significant superiority over FC when paired with MINIROCKET utilizing TSD, diverging from conventional understandings. Conversely, FC exhibits consistent dominance across all configurations when employing alternative classifiers such as STSF and SVM. Moreover, TSD is found to consistently outperform both CBD and JSD across nearly all scenarios, except in instances involving the STSF classifier where CBD showcases superior performance. This discrepancy underscores the nuanced nature of dissimilarity measures and emphasizes the importance of their tailored selection based on the dataset and classifier employed. Valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between classification methodologies and dissimilarity measures in the realm of time series data analysis are provided by these findings. By elucidating the performance variations across different configurations, a foundation is laid for refining classification methodologies and dissimilarity measures to optimize performance in diverse analytical scenarios. Furthermore, the need for continued research aimed at elucidating the underlying mechanisms driving classification performance in time series data analysis is underscored, with implications for enhancing predictive modeling and decision-making in various domains.
Hierarchical classification (HC) plays a pivotal role in multi-class classification tasks, where objects are organized into a hierarchical structure. This study explores the performance of HC through a comprehensive analysis that encompasses both hierarchy generation and hierarchy exploitation. This analysis is particularly relevant in scenarios where a predefined hierarchy structure is not readily accessible. Notably, two novel hierarchy exploitation schemes, LCPN+ and LCPN+F, which extend the capabilities of LCPN and combine the strengths of global and local classification, have been introduced and evaluated alongside existing methods. The findings reveal the consistent superiority of LCPN+F, which outperforms other schemes across various datasets and scenarios. Moreover, this research emphasizes not only effectiveness but also efficiency, as LCPN+ and LCPN+F maintain runtime performance comparable to Flat Classification (FC). Additionally, this study underscores the importance of selecting the right hierarchy exploitation scheme to maximize classification performance. This work extends our understanding of HC and establishes a benchmark for future research, fostering advancements in multi-class classification methodologies.
This study introduces a novel hierarchical divisive clustering approach with stochastic splitting functions (SSFs) to enhance classification performance in multi-class datasets through hierarchical classification (HC). The method has the unique capability of generating hierarchy without requiring explicit information, making it suitable for datasets lacking prior knowledge of hierarchy. By systematically dividing classes into two subsets based on their discriminability according to the classifier, the proposed approach constructs a binary tree representation of hierarchical classes. The approach is evaluated on 46 multi-class time series datasets using popular classifiers (svm and rocket) and SSFs (potr, srtr, and lsoo). The results reveal that the approach significantly improves classification performance in approximately half and a third of the datasets when using rocket and svm as the classifier, respectively. The study also explores the relationship between dataset features and HC performance. While the number of classes and flat classification (FC) score show consistent significance, variations are observed with different splitting functions. Overall, the proposed approach presents a promising strategy for enhancing classification by generating hierarchical structure in multi-class time series datasets. Future research directions involve exploring different splitting functions, classifiers, and hierarchy structures, as well as applying the approach to diverse domains beyond time series data. The source code is made openly available to facilitate reproducibility and further exploration of the method.