Synergies Of Soft Computing And Statistics For Intelligent Data Analysis

In recent years there has been a growing interest to extend classical methods for data analysis. The aim is to allow a more flexible modeling of phenomena such as uncertainty, imprecision or ignorance. Such extensions of classical probability theory and statistics are useful in many real-life situations, since uncertainties in data are not only present in the form of randomness --- various types of incomplete or subjective information have to be handled. About twelve years ago the idea of strengthening the dialogue between the various research communities in the field of data analysis was born and resulted in the International Conference Series on Soft Methods in Probability and Statistics (SMPS). This book gathers contributions presented at the SMPS'2012 held in Konstanz, Germany. Its aim is to present recent results illustrating new trends in intelligent data analysis. It gives a comprehensive overview of current research into the fusion of soft computing methods with probability and statistics. Synergies of both fields might improve intelligent data analysis methods in terms of robustness to noise and applicability to larger datasets, while being able to efficiently obtain understandable solutions of real-world problems.

In recent years there has been a growing interest to extend classical methods for data analysis. The aim is to allow a more flexible modeling of phenomena such as uncertainty, imprecision or ignorance. Such extensions of classical probability theory and statistics are useful in many real-life situations, since uncertainties in data are not only present in the form of randomness --- various types of incomplete or subjective information have to be handled. About twelve years ago the idea of strengthening the dialogue between the various research communities in the field of data analysis was born and resulted in the International Conference Series on Soft Methods in Probability and Statistics (SMPS). This book gathers contributions presented at the SMPS'2012 held in Konstanz, Germany. Its aim is to present recent results illustrating new trends in intelligent data analysis. It gives a comprehensive overview of current research into the fusion of soft computing methods with probability and statistics. Synergies of both fields might improve intelligent data analysis methods in terms of robustness to noise and applicability to larger datasets, while being able to efficiently obtain understandable solutions of real-world problems.

This book gathers contributions presented at the 7th International Conference on Soft Methods in Probability and Statistics SMPS 2014, held in Warsaw (Poland) on September 22-24, 2014. Its aim is to present recent results illustrating new trends in intelligent data analysis. It gives a comprehensive overview of current research into the fusion of soft computing methods with probability and statistics. Synergies of both fields might improve intelligent data analysis methods in terms of robustness to noise and applicability to larger datasets, while being able to efficiently obtain understandable solutions of real-world problems.

Each passing year bears witness to the development of ever more powerful computers, increasingly fast and cheap storage media, and even higher bandwidth data connections. This makes it easy to believe that we can now – at least in principle – solve any problem we are faced with so long as we only have enough data. Yet this is not the case. Although large databases allow us to retrieve many different single pieces of information and to compute simple aggregations, general patterns and regularities often go undetected. Furthermore, it is exactly these patterns, regularities and trends that are often most valuable. To avoid the danger of “drowning in information, but starving for knowledge” the branch of research known as data analysis has emerged, and a considerable number of methods and software tools have been developed. However, it is not these tools alone but the intelligent application of human intuition in combination with computational power, of sound background knowledge with computer-aided modeling, and of critical reflection with convenient automatic model construction, that results in successful intelligent data analysis projects. Guide to Intelligent Data Analysis provides a hands-on instructional approach to many basic data analysis techniques, and explains how these are used to solve data analysis problems. Topics and features: guides the reader through the process of data analysis, following the interdependent steps of project understanding, data understanding, data preparation, modeling, and deployment and monitoring; equips the reader with the necessary information in order to obtain hands-on experience of the topics under discussion; provides a review of the basics of classical statistics that support and justify many data analysis methods, and a glossary of statistical terms; includes numerous examples using R and KNIME, together with appendices introducing the open source software; integrates illustrations and case-study-style examples to support pedagogical exposition. This practical and systematic textbook/reference for graduate and advanced undergraduate students is also essential reading for all professionals who face data analysis problems. Moreover, it is a book to be used following one’s exploration of it. Dr. Michael R. Berthold is Nycomed-Professor of Bioinformatics and Information Mining at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Dr. Christian Borgelt is Principal Researcher at the Intelligent Data Analysis and Graphical Models Research Unit of the European Centre for Soft Computing, Spain. Dr. Frank Höppner is Professor of Information Systems at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Dr. Frank Klawonn is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Head of the Data Analysis and Pattern Recognition Laboratory at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He is also Head of the Bioinformatics and Statistics group at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Intelligent Data Analysis, IDA-97, held in London, UK, in August 1997. The volume presents 50 revised full papers selected from a total of 107 submissions. Also included is a keynote, Intelligent Data Analysis: Issues and Opportunities, by David J. Hand. The papers are organized in sections on exploratory data analysis, preprocessing and tools; classification and feature selection; medical applications; soft computing; knowledge discovery and data mining; estimation and clustering; data quality; qualitative models.

The book reports on the latest advances and challenges of soft computing. It gathers original scientific contributions written by top scientists in the field and covering theories, methods and applications in a number of research areas related to soft-computing, such as decision-making, probabilistic reasoning, image processing, control, neural networks and data analysis.

This second and revised edition contains a detailed introduction to the key classes of intelligent data analysis methods. The twelve coherently written chapters by leading experts provide complete coverage of the core issues. The first half of the book is devoted to the discussion of classical statistical issues. The following chapters concentrate on machine learning and artificial intelligence, rule induction methods, neural networks, fuzzy logic, and stochastic search methods. The book concludes with a chapter on visualization and an advanced overview of IDA processes.

This textbook provides a clear and logical introduction to the field, covering the fundamental concepts, algorithms and practical implementations behind efforts to develop systems that exhibit intelligent behavior in complex environments. This enhanced second edition has been fully revised and expanded with new content on swarm intelligence, deep learning, fuzzy data analysis, and discrete decision graphs. Features: provides supplementary material at an associated website; contains numerous classroom-tested examples and definitions throughout the text; presents useful insights into all that is necessary for the successful application of computational intelligence methods; explains the theoretical background underpinning proposed solutions to common problems; discusses in great detail the classical areas of artificial neural networks, fuzzy systems and evolutionary algorithms; reviews the latest developments in the field, covering such topics as ant colony optimization and probabilistic graphical models.