Referring to data as the fuel that drives this fast-changing world of machines and computers isn’t an exaggeration. It’s already a fact. And machine learning (ML) is highly effective in many applications with abundant data training.
Nowadays, many businesses rely on artificial intelligence (AI) in different forms, such as devices that can copy human intelligence, actions, and even decision-making. Many data training solutions help provide a high-quality data labeling platform that is a staple in machine learning.
If you’re looking for ways to optimize machine learning, here’s a quick and practical guide to training your machine learning model.
What is machine learning model training?
An ML model training is a process where the ML algorithm is given a lot of training data such as output data and sets of input data to learn from. The input data is run through the algorithm to connect the processed output against the sample when training a model. Results from training are used to further modify the model, which can be then deployed for your applications by Flask developers for hire
Why do you need to train your model?
Simply put, training the model is necessary for the machine to understand how to deal with unknown data. It’s a way of providing and seeking a solution for the machine to learn patterns in data using different algorithms.
To illustrate, these algorithms act like teachers, and the model is a child. The teachers (algorithm) train the child (model), and the one who can give the best results in training is selected.
For example, the teachers teach a child what a flower looks like, how it smells, the different types of flowers, and others.The child with the knowledge can now easily recognize when it sees one.
The same goes for machines. Training the model is essential to prepare it to manage information and help predict new cases.
How to effectively train your model
Here are six effective ways to properly train an ML model:
- Name your model
The first step in training your model is to give it a name. In addition, you may also describe it and attach tags to it, making it searchable.
- State the problem
This step is where you lay down the goals you want your model to achieve. It’s where you set and answer questions can be ‘what are the primary objectives?’, ‘what do you intend the model to predict?’, and ‘what are the data input?’.
This step is crucial before you start training your model since it will be the roadmap that’ll guide you throughout the process. Without a problem statement or objective, your model will be like a worker without a task to do.
- Collect and label your data
After the problem statement and the objectives are defined, you need to gather the necessary data to feed your machine. The number of data samples and how well labeled it is will determine your model’s effectiveness. You may refer to existing tabular data or annotated media data, or you may also start from scratch when gathering data.
In this step, you also need to generate labels for the data you collected to represent samples you need your machine to analyze or identify. For example, if you intend for your machine to identify the names of plants, you need to label objects with different names of plants in your image dataset.
- Split your dataset
You may now divide your dataset after naming your model, setting the problem statement, and collecting and labeling your data. Initially, you need to allocate your training data carefully since it’s a finite resource. Proper allocation is essential because you can’t use the data for every step. Some of them are for training, while others are for testing.
- Make sure to fit and tweak your model
After dividing your dataset into training and test sets, you’re ready to fit and tweak your models. You need to perform the entire cross-validation loop detailed above on each set of hyperparameter values you’d like to try.
Available parameters for ML instructions are of two types: the model parameters and the hyperparameters. The difference between them is that model parameters can be taught straight from the training datasets while hyperparameters are decided.
Model parameters refer to learned attributes defining individual models, such as regression coefficients, neural network weights and biases and decision structure split locations. These parameters can be taught directly from the data assigned for training.
On the other hand, hyperparameters manifest in algorithmic settings that are on a different plane, such as the regularization weight used in regularized regression and the number of trees to include in a random forest. These are decided before fitting the ML bot because they can’t be learned from the datasets.
Moreover, if the training time is sufficiently short, another method to fine-tune your model is through cross-validation. You can use this to get a reliable estimate of your model’s performance using your training data.
There are various cross-validation techniques. The usual one is cross-validation iterated 5 times. This method breaks your training data into five equal parts (folds), thereby making ten small train and test groups.
The following are the steps:
Step 1: Divide your data into five equal parts.
Step 2: Train the ML robot on the first four folds.
Step 3: Evaluate the one remaining fold or hold-out.
Step 4: Repeat steps two and three five times, holding out a different fold each time.
Step 5: Get the average score of all five hold-out iterations. That’s your final performance grade or cross-validated score. Creating five mini train/test splits makes this score reliable.
- Evaluate and select the best model
Now that you’ve trained your model, it’s time to select which algorithms perform well and send it to final testing and evaluation.
During this phase, you need to compare their performance and identify the best ones. The best models may not always be perfect, but they perform well during the training and the testing.
Finally, the best model should be the one able to solve the problem or fulfill the objectives you set initially.
Final thoughts
ML models offer multiple benefits to various applications in this modern world of technology and business. Utilizing the best and most systematic approach in training your model is crucial to successfully producing a working machine that can benefit end-users in many applications.
