Local Approximations, Real Interpolation and Machine Learning

We suggest a novel classification algorithm that is based on local approximations and explain its connections with Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Nearest Neighbour classifiers. We illustrate it on the datasets MNIST and EMNIST of images of handwritten digits. We use the dataset MNIST to find parameters of our algorithm and apply it with these parameters to the challenging EMNIST dataset. It is demonstrated that the algorithm misclassifies 0.42% of the images of EMNIST and therefore significantly outperforms predictions by humans and shallow artificial neural networks (ANNs with few hidden layers) that both have more than 1.3% of errors

An Improved Nearest Neighbour Classifier

A windowed version of the Nearest Neighbour (WNN) classifier for images is described. While its construction is inspired by the architecture of Artificial Neural Networks, the underlying theoretical framework is based on approximation theory. We illustrate WNN on the datasets MNIST and EMNIST of images of handwritten digits. In order to calibrate the parameters of WNN, we first study it on the classical MNIST dataset. We then apply WNN with these parameters to the challenging EMNIST dataset. It is demonstrated that WNN misclassifies 0.42% of the images of EMNIST and therefore significantly outperforms predictions by humans and shallow ANNs that both have more than 1.3% of errors.