An automatic method for producing robust regression models from hyperspectral data using multiple simple genetic algorithms

This paper presents a new method for automatically determining the optimum regression model, which enable the estimation of a parameter. The concept lies on the combination of k spectral pre-processing algorithms (SPPAs) that enhance spectral features correlated to the desired parameter. Initially a pre-processing algorithm uses as input a single spectral signature and transforms it according to the SPPA function. A k-step combination of SPPAs uses k preprocessing algorithms serially. The result of each SPPA is used as input to the next SPPA, and so on until the k desired pre-processed signatures are reached. These signatures are then used as input to three different regression methods: the Normalized band Difference Regression (NDR), the Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). Three Simple Genetic Algorithms (SGAs) are used, one for each regression method, for the selection of the optimum combination of k SPPAs. The performance of the SGAs is evaluated based on the RMS error of the regression models. The evaluation not only indicates the selection of the optimum SPPA combination but also the regression method that produces the optimum prediction model. The proposed method was applied on soil spectral measurements in order to predict Soil Organic Matter (SOM). In this study, the maximum value assigned to k was 3. PLSR yielded the highest accuracy while NDR's accuracy was satisfactory compared to its complexity. MLR method showed severe drawbacks due to the presence of noise in terms of collinearity at the spectral bands. Most of the regression methods required a 3-step combination of SPPAs for achieving the highest performance. The selected preprocessing algorithms were different for each regression method since each regression method handles with a different way the explanatory variables.