Exploring the Uncertainty Space of Ensemble Classifiers in Face Recognition

Abstract

In this paper, we present a supervised ensemble learning algorithm, called SCAV1, and its application to face recognition. This algorithm exploits the uncertainty space of the ensemble classifiers. Its design includes six different nearest-neighbor (NN) classifiers that are based on different and diverse image attributes: histogram, variogram, texture analysis, edges, bidimensional discrete wavelet transform and Zernike moments. In this approach each attribute, together with its corresponding type of the analysis (local or global), and the distance criterion (p-norm) induces a different individual NN classifier. The ensemble classifier SCAV1 depends on a set of parameters: the number of candidate images used by each individual method to perform the final classification and the individual weights given to each individual classifier. SCAV1 parameters are optimized/sampled using a supervised approach via the regressive particle swarm optimization algorithm (RR-PSO). The final classifier exploits the uncertainty space of SCAV1 and uses majority voting (Borda Count) as a final decision rule. We show the application of this algorithm to the ORL and PUT image databases, obtaining very high and stable accuracies (100% median accuracy and almost null interquartile range). In conclusion, exploring the uncertainty space of ensemble classifiers provides optimum results and seems to be the appropriate strategy to adopt for face recognition and other classification problems.