Fast k most similar neighbor classifier for mixed data based on a tree structure and approximating-eliminating

Abstract

The k nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier has been extensively used as a nonparametric technique in Pattern Recognition. However, in some applications where the training set is large, the exhaustive k-NN classifier becomes impractical. Therefore, many fast k-NN classifiers have been developed to avoid this problem. Most of these classifiers rely on metric properties, usually the triangle inequality, to reduce the number of prototype comparisons. However, in soft sciences, the prototypes are usually described by qualitative and quantitative features (mixed data), and sometimes the comparison function does not satisfy the triangle inequality. Therefore, in this work, a fast k most similar neighbor (k-MSN) classifier, which uses a Tree structure and an Approximating and Eliminating approach for Mixed Data, not based on metric properties (Tree AEMD), is introduced. The proposed classifier is compared against other fast k-NN classifiers. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.