Energy conservation in buildings is a paramount concern to combat greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The efficient management of room occupancy, involving actions like lighting control and climate adjustment, is a pivotal strategy to curtail energy consumption. In contexts where surveillance technology isn't viable, non-intrusive sensors are employed to estimate room occupancy. In this study, we present a predictive framework for room occupancy that leverages a diverse set of machine learning models, with Random Forest consistently achieving the highest predictive accuracy. Notably, this dataset encompasses both temporal and spatial dimensions, revealing a wealth of information. Intriguingly, our framework demonstrates robust performance even in the absence of explicit temporal modeling. These findings underscore the remarkable predictive power of traditional machine learning models. The success can be attributed to the presence of feature redundancy, the simplicity of linear spatial and temporal patterns, and the advantages of high-frequency data sampling. While these results are compelling, it's essential to remain open to the possibility that explicitly modeling the temporal dimension could unlock deeper insights or further enhance predictive capabilities in specific scenarios. In summary, our research not only validates the effectiveness of our prediction framework for continuous and classification tasks but also underscores the potential for improvements through the inclusion of temporal aspects. The study highlights the promise of machine learning in shaping energy-efficient practices and room occupancy management.
Water resources are essential for sustaining human livelihoods and environmental well being. Accurate water quality prediction plays a pivotal role in effective resource management and pollution mitigation. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of five distinct predictive models linear regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, and MLP neural network, in forecasting pH values within the geographical context of Georgia, USA. Notably, LightGBM emerges as the top performing model, achieving the highest average precision. Our analysis underscores the supremacy of tree-based models in addressing regression challenges, while revealing the sensitivity of MLP neural networks to feature scaling. Intriguingly, our findings shed light on a counterintuitive discovery: machine learning models, which do not explicitly account for time dependencies and spatial considerations, outperform spatial temporal models. This unexpected superiority of machine learning models challenges conventional assumptions and highlights their potential for practical applications in water quality prediction. Our research aims to establish a robust predictive pipeline accessible to both data science experts and those without domain specific knowledge. In essence, we present a novel perspective on achieving high prediction accuracy and interpretability in data science methodologies. Through this study, we redefine the boundaries of water quality forecasting, emphasizing the significance of data driven approaches over traditional spatial temporal models. Our findings offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of water resource management and environmental protection.
Water resources serve as the cornerstone of human livelihoods and economic progress, with intrinsic links to both public health and environmental well-being. The accurate prediction of water quality stands as a pivotal factor in enhancing water resource management and combating pollution. This research, employing diverse performance metrics, assesses the efficacy of five distinct models, namely, linear regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, and MLP neural network, in forecasting pH values within Georgia, USA. Concurrently, LightGBM attains the highest average precision among all models examined. Tree-based models underscore their supremacy in addressing regression challenges. Furthermore, the performance of MLP neural network is sensitive to feature scaling. Additionally, we expound upon and dissect the reasons behind the superior precision of the machine learning models when they are compared to the original study, which factors in time dependencies and spatial considerations. The primary objective of this endeavor is to establish a robust predictive pipeline, specifically tailored for practical applications. It caters not only to individuals well-versed in the realm of data science but also to those lacking specialization in particular application domains. In essence, we offer a fresh perspective for achieving relative precision in data science methodologies, emphasizing both prediction accuracy and interpretability.