Cost-Sensitive Random Pair Encoding for Multi-Label Classification

We propose a novel cost-sensitive multi-label classification algorithm called cost-sensitive random pair encoding (CSRPE). CSRPE reduces the cost-sensitive multi-label classification problem to many cost-sensitive binary classification problems through the label powerset approach followed by the classic one-versus-one decomposition. While such a naive reduction results in exponentially-many classifiers, we resolve the training challenge of building the many classifiers by random sampling, and the prediction challenge of voting from the many classifiers by nearest-neighbor decoding through casting the one-versus-one decomposition as a special case of error-correcting code. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that CSRPE achieves stable convergence and reaches better performance than other ensemble-learning and error-correcting-coding algorithms for multi-label classification. The results also justify that CSRPE is competitive with state-of-the-art cost-sensitive multi-label classification algorithms for cost-sensitive multi-label classification.