Datasets

See also: Machine learning terms

Introduction

Datasets in machine learning refer to a collection of information or raw data collected for training, testing, and assessing a model. They typically consist of input data (features) and their corresponding output or label data. Datasets can vary in size, format, and complexity depending on the problem being addressed.

Datasets are often organized as a spreadsheet or CSV (comma-separated value) file.

Importance

Datasets are essential elements in machine learning, as they are used to train, test and evaluate models. The quality and quantity of the data used can have a considerable effect on the accuracy and effectiveness of a model's predictions. Furthermore, diversity and representativeness within the dataset may restrict its ability to generalize to new or unseen scenarios.

Types of Datasets

Datasets can be classified based on characteristics such as their size, source, format and labeling. Common types of datasets include:

Structured Datasets

Structured datasets refer to data with an organized format and rows/columns. Examples of structured datasets include spreadsheets, SQL databases and CSV files. These types of data sets are commonly employed for classification or regression tasks.

Unstructured Datasets

Unstructured datasets refer to those which lack a predefined format and consist of text, images or audio. Examples of unstructured datasets include social media posts, images and audio recordings. These types of records can be utilized for tasks such as natural language processing, computer vision and speech recognition.

Labeled Datasets

Labeled datasets are those which have already been annotated with the correct output or label data. These types of datasets are frequently employed in supervised learning tasks, which require you to predict an exact output based on input data.

Unlabeled Datasets

Unlabeled datasets refer to those without predetermined output or label data. They're frequently employed in unsupervised learning tasks, which aim to detect patterns or structure within the data.

Training Datasets

Training datasets are those used to train a machine learning model. Typically, these datasets form the majority of data used and have been carefully curated so that the model has access to an array of inputs.

Validation Datasets

Validation datasets are those used to assess a model's performance during training. These datasets are usually separated from the training data, and they guarantee that the model does not overfit or underfit to its input data.

Testing Datasets

Testing datasets are those which evaluate the final performance of a machine learning model. These datasets typically come from both training and validation data, to guarantee that it can generalize to new, unseen data sets.

Data Preprocessing

Before using a dataset to train a machine learning model, it must be preprocessed. This may involve tasks like cleaning the data, normalizing it and feature engineering. Preprocessing plays an integral role in the machine learning pipeline since it can significantly impact its accuracy and effectiveness.

Explain Like I'm 5 (ELI5)

A dataset is like a large bag of different objects that a computer can study and learn from. It's essential that there be plenty of variety in the bag so the computer can recognize similar items when they appear, such as pictures, words and numbers. Before it can use this knowledge to make decisions though, we need to organize everything inside so it's easy for it to comprehend - like tidying up our room before playing with toys!