Designing machine learning workflows with an application to topological data analysis

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 2;14(12):e0225577. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225577. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

In this paper we define the concept of the Machine Learning Morphism (MLM) as a fundamental building block to express operations performed in machine learning such as data preprocessing, feature extraction, and model training. Inspired by statistical learning, MLMs are morphisms whose parameters are minimized via a risk function. We explore operations such as composition of MLMs and when sets of MLMs form a vector space. These operations are used to build a machine learning workflow from data preprocessing to final task completion. We examine the Mapper Algorithm from Topological Data Analysis as an MLM, and build several workflows for binary classification incorporating Mapper on Hospital Readmissions and Credit Evaluation datasets. The advantage of this framework lies in the ability to easily build, organize, and compare multiple workflows, and allows joint optimization of parameters across multiple steps in an application.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Data Analysis*
  • Data Mining / methods*
  • Machine Learning*
  • Workflow*

Grants and funding

E.C. was supported by DGE-1745038, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, nsf.gov, The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. P.S. La Rosa is supported by Bayer Company in St. Louis, MO. The funder provided support in the form of for author P.S. La Rosa, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of this author are articulated in the “author contributions” section.