# Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines

Explanations, Examples & Code

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM) is an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi-supervised learning. It is an instance-based algorithm that makes use of a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labelled data to perform classification tasks. The aim is to leverage the unlabelled data to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labelled data alone, which makes this algorithm especially useful when labelled data is scarce or expensive to obtain. S3VM uses Semi-Supervised Learning as its learning method.

{% embed url="https://youtu.be/zy6TzT2kQhs?si=E3p9VwB17PwYuEOg" %}

## Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines: Introduction

| Domains          | Learning Methods | Type           |
| ---------------- | ---------------- | -------------- |
| Machine Learning | Semi-Supervised  | Instance-based |

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines, also known as S3VM, is an instance- based algorithm and an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi- supervised learning.

This algorithm is designed to make use of a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labelled data to perform classification tasks. The aim is to leverage the unlabelled data to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labelled data alone. This approach is especially useful when labelled data is scarce or expensive to obtain.

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines can be categorized as a Semi- Supervised Learning method, and it has been extensively used in a variety of applications, including image and text classification.

In the following sections, we will dive deeper into how this algorithm works and explore its strengths and weaknesses.

## Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines: Use Cases & Examples

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM) is an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi-supervised learning. It is an instance-based algorithm that aims to leverage a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labelled data to perform classification tasks. S3VM is especially useful when labelled data is scarce or expensive to obtain.

The main advantage of S3VM is its ability to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labelled data alone by incorporating the unlabelled data. This algorithm has been successfully applied in various fields such as image classification, natural language processing, and bioinformatics.

One example of the use of S3VM is in the field of image classification. In a study conducted by Chen et al. (2016), S3VM was used to classify images of different plant species based on their leaf shapes. The algorithm was able to achieve high accuracy even with a small amount of labelled data, demonstrating its effectiveness in situations where labelled data is limited.

Another example of the use of S3VM is in natural language processing. In a study conducted by Zhu et al. (2015), S3VM was used to automatically classify Chinese news articles into different categories. The algorithm was able to achieve high accuracy by leveraging the unlabelled data, demonstrating its usefulness in situations where labelled data is expensive to obtain.

In bioinformatics, S3VM has been used for tasks such as protein classification and gene expression analysis. In a study conducted by Wang et al. (2016), S3VM was used to classify proteins based on their functions. The algorithm was able to achieve high accuracy by incorporating the unlabelled data, demonstrating its potential in improving the accuracy of protein classification.

## Getting Started

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM) is an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi-supervised learning. It makes use of a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labelled data to perform classification tasks. The aim is to leverage the unlabelled data to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labelled data alone. This algorithm is especially useful when labelled data is scarce or expensive to obtain. S3VM is an instance-based type of algorithm that uses semi-supervised learning methods.

Getting started with S3VM in Python is relatively straightforward. Here is an example code using numpy, pytorch, and scikit-learn:

```
import numpy as np
from sklearn.semi_supervised import LabelPropagation
from sklearn.datasets import make_classification

# Generate a random dataset with 1000 samples
X, y = make_classification(n_samples=1000, n_features=10, n_informative=5, n_redundant=0, random_state=42)

# Split the dataset into labelled and unlabelled data
X_labelled, y_labelled = X[:100], y[:100]
X_unlabelled = X[100:]

# Create a LabelPropagation model with a radial basis function kernel
model = LabelPropagation(kernel='rbf')

# Fit the model with the labelled and unlabelled data
model.fit(X, y)

# Predict the labels for the unlabelled data
y_pred = model.predict(X_unlabelled)

```

In this example, we first generate a random dataset with 1000 samples using the make\_classification function from scikit-learn. We then split the dataset into labelled and unlabelled data. We create a LabelPropagation model with a radial basis function kernel and fit the model with the labelled and unlabelled data. Finally, we predict the labels for the unlabelled data using the predict method.

## FAQs

### What is Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM)?

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM) is an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi-supervised learning. It makes use of a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labelled data to perform classification tasks.

### What is the purpose of S3VM?

The aim of S3VM is to leverage the unlabelled data to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labelled data alone. This algorithm is especially useful when labelled data is scarce or expensive to obtain.

### What type of algorithm is S3VM?

S3VM is an instance-based algorithm.

### What learning methods are used in S3VM?

S3VM uses Semi-Supervised Learning methods.

### How does S3VM differ from traditional SVM?

S3VM differs from traditional SVM by incorporating unlabelled data in addition to labelled data to improve classification performance. Traditional SVM only uses labelled data for training.

## Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines: ELI5

Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machines (S3VM) are like a chef cooking a delicious meal. The chef has some ingredients that they know how to cook and have a recipe for (labeled data), but also has several new ingredients they have never cooked with before (unlabeled data). Instead of throwing away the unknown ingredients, the chef wants to figure out how to best use them to enhance the meal. The chef would use the labeled ingredients as a starting point, and then use the new ingredients to improve the flavor and texture of the dish.

S3VM is an extension of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for semi-supervised learning. SVMs are classification algorithms that use a set of training data to create decision boundaries between different classes. S3VM makes use of a large amount of unlabelled data and a small amount of labeled data to perform classification tasks. The aim is to leverage the unlabelled data to improve the decision boundary constructed from the labeled data alone.

Imagine a teacher trying to assign grades to all of their students. If the teacher only had the grades for a few students, they would have a difficult time determining the overall grade distribution of the class. But if the teacher had access to the previous year's grades for the same class, they could use this additional data to better estimate the grades for the new students.

S3VM is especially useful when labeled data is scarce or expensive to obtain. By using a combination of labeled and unlabeled data, S3VM creates a more accurate decision boundary and improves the overall classification performance. It is a type of instance-based learning algorithm that falls under the category of semi-supervised learning.

Think of S3VM as a chef trying to make the best dish possible with both familiar and unfamiliar ingredients, or a teacher trying to assign grades to students with limited information. By leveraging both labeled and unlabeled data, S3VM can perform better classification tasks.

\*\[MCTS]: Monte Carlo Tree Search [Semi Supervised Support Vector Machines](https://serp.ai/semi-supervised-support-vector-machines/)
