Enhancing deep learning-based slope stability classification using a novel metaheuristic optimization algorithm for feature selection

Abstract

The evaluation of slope stability is of crucial importance in geotechnical engineering and has significant implications for infrastructure safety, natural hazard mitigation, and environmental protection. This study aimed to identify the most influential factors affecting slope stability and evaluate the performance of various machine learning models for classifying slope stability. Through correlation analysis and feature importance evaluation using a random forest regressor, cohesion, unit weight, slope height, and friction angle were identified as the most critical parameters influencing slope stability. This research assessed the effectiveness of machine learning techniques combined with modern feature selection algorithms and conventional feature analysis methods. The performance of deep learning models, including recurrent neural networks (RNNs), long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, and generative adversarial networks (GANs), in slope stability classification was evaluated. The GAN model demonstrated superior performance, achieving the highest overall accuracy of 0.913 and the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.9285. Integration of the binary bGGO technique for feature selection with the GAN model led to significant improvements in classification performance, with the bGGO-GAN model showing enhanced sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and F1 score compared to the classical GAN model. The bGGO-GAN model achieved 95% accuracy on a substantial dataset of 627 samples, demonstrating competitive performance against other models in the literature while offering strong generalizability. This study highlights the potential of advanced machine learning techniques and feature selection methods for improving slope stability classification and provides valuable insights for geotechnical engineering applications.