Vector to matrix representation for CNN networks for classifying astronomical data

Abstract

Choosing the right classifier is crucial for effective classification in various astronomical datasets aimed at pattern recognition. While the literature offers numerous solutions, the support vector machine (SVM) continues to be a preferred choice across many scientific fields due to its user-friendliness. In this study, we introduce a novel approach using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as an alternative to SVMs. CNNs excel at handling image data, which is arranged in a grid pattern. Our research explores converting one-dimensional vector data into two-dimensional matrices so that CNNs pre-trained on large image datasets can be applied. We evaluate different methods to input data into standard CNNs by using two-dimensional feature vector formats. In this work, we propose a new method of data restructuring based on a set of wavelet transforms. The robustness of our approach is tested across two benchmark datasets/problems: brown dwarf identification and threshold crossing event (Kepler data) classification. The proposed ensembles produce promising results on both datasets. The MATLAB code of the proposed ensemble is available at https://github.com/LorisNanni/Vector-to-matrix-representation-for-CNN-networks-for-classifying-astronomical-data