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International Conference on Advanced Machine Learning Technologies and Applications

AMLTA 2021: Advanced Machine Learning Technologies and Applications pp 214–224Cite as

The Importance of Discretization Methods in Machine Learning Applications: A Case Study of Predicting ICU Mortality

Part of the Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing book series (AISC,volume 1339)

Abstract

Data preprocessing represents one of the most crucial stages in data analysis. While developing novel machine learning techniques has been the main focus of research in the data science field, less attention has been given to data preprocessing. This paper examines the importance of discretization as a preprocessing step and helps achieve better classification performance compared to using continuous attributes. We examine the performance of multiple parametric and non-parametric discretization methods in conjunction with several machine learning classifiers for the problem of predicting the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) mortality. Our results demonstrate the significance of discretizing the input attributes in this problem. Using discretized data achieved a classification accuracy and F1 score of 89.19% and 0.38, respectively, while using continuous attributes achieved a classification accuracy F1 score of 86.19% and 0.08, respectively. These results demonstrate that discretizing continuous attributes prior to applying machine learning models could significantly enhance performance enhancement.

Keywords

  • Discretization
  • Classification
  • Mortality prediction

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer and Systems Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Hanan Elhilbawi, Seif Eldawlatly & Hani Mahdi

  2. Faculty of Media Engineering and Technology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt

    Seif Eldawlatly

Authors
  1. Hanan Elhilbawi
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  2. Seif Eldawlatly
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  3. Hani Mahdi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seif Eldawlatly .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Information Technology Department, Cairo University, Computer and Information Faculty, Giza, Egypt

    Prof. Aboul-Ella Hassanien

  2. College of Information Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

    Prof. Kuo-Chi Chang

  3. International Center for Informatics Research, Beijing Jaiotong University, Beijing, China

    Prof. Tang Mincong

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Elhilbawi, H., Eldawlatly, S., Mahdi, H. (2021). The Importance of Discretization Methods in Machine Learning Applications: A Case Study of Predicting ICU Mortality. In: Hassanien, AE., Chang, KC., Mincong, T. (eds) Advanced Machine Learning Technologies and Applications. AMLTA 2021. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1339. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69717-4_23

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