Suggestions for machine learning toolset without Matlab - machine-learning

I am new to the field of machine learning, I am planning to use python as the programing language for implementing algorithms and Java for system architecture.
As far as I understand, machine learning is more about modeling data specific to the domain, visualize the data, and choose appropriate models & parameters. Implementing the models/algorithms is the last and relatively easy step.
Matlab seems to have everything for machine learning but it is too expensive and requires to learn a new language.
What tools other than programming language do I need in general for machine learning for enterprise projects? things like data modeling, visualization,etc

After a couple of years of trial and error, I would suggest you to go directly with python, possibly with scikit-learn or tensorflow (if you want to go hardcore :).
I also tried R in the past, and while it is a very valid language it has some limitations: It is single threaded by default, and although there are solutions for that, they are non as clean as python.
Also, python seems to be THE language for machine learning, it is easy to learn, and fast (depending on the interpreter implementation of course), also there is huuuuuuge support for it, lots of tutorials, documentation and, more important, libraries are actively develop and supported.
Finally, i recommend you to consider spyder as a good IDE for data science, I also tried Rodeo, but it does not seem as mature and stable as spyder.
Hope this helps.

Related

programing language and training environment for machine learning

I need advice on which libraries and game engines should I use for a ml project
my goal is to create machine learning model for pruning the trees. I believe I have to create a game with generic tree model with some randomness then create reinforcement learning model and train ml model inside the game.ML model must have ability to first find the branch which must be cut and then find a path to move robotic arm near to that branch to cut it. I have experience in c++ and java but I prefer c++ , could you give me advise which library should I use for ML and which language and game engine should I use for creating game? I have a little experience in opengl. If it doesn't make any difference my prefered language is c++ but I know that I should use right tool for right job and python is leader in ML so if it will save a time and energy I have nothing against learning python.
My recommendation is to learn and use Python for your ML project. Though there is some work in R, for your future in ML, your best bet is to learn and use Python. The community is great, and there are many frameworks that can work out-of-the-box.
After a quick search, I did find a framework called robotframework, that is pretty highly starred on GitHub here: https://github.com/robotframework/robotframework. I will say though, however, that I am not personally familiar with using this framework. But it may be helpful to you.
In terms of tree-based algorithms, you might want to start exploring with XGBoost. It can be found here: https://github.com/dmlc/xgboost.

Is there a native library written in Julia for Machine Learning?

I have started using Julia.I read that it is faster than C.
So far I have seen some libraries like KNET and Flux, but both are for Deep Learning.
also there is a command "Pycall" tu use Python inside Julia.
But I am interested in Machine Learning too. So I would like to use SVM, Random Forest, KNN, XGBoost, etc but in Julia.
Is there a native library written in Julia for Machine Learning?
Thank you
A lot of algorithms are just plain available using dedicated packages. Like BayesNets.jl
For "classical machine learning" MLJ.jl which is a pure Julia Machine Learning framework, it's written by the Alan Turing Institute with very active development.
For Neural Networks Flux.jl is the way to go in Julia. Also very active, GPU-ready and allow all the exotics combinations that exist in the Julia ecosystem like DiffEqFlux.jl a package that combines Flux.jl and DifferentialEquations.jl.
Just wait for Zygote.jl a source-to-source automatic differentiation package that will be some sort of backend for Flux.jl
Of course, if you're more confident with Python ML tools you still have TensorFlow.jl and ScikitLearn.jl, but OP asked for pure Julia packages and those are just Julia wrappers of Python packages.
Have a look at this kNN implementation and this for XGboost.
There are SVM implementations, but outdated an unmaintained (search for SVM .jl). But, really, think about other algorithms for much better prediction qualities and model construction performance. Have a look at the OLS (orthogonal least squares) and OFR (orthogonal forward regression) algorithm family. You will easily find detailed algorithm descriptions, easy to code in any suitable language. However, there is currently no Julia implementation I am aware of. I found only Matlab implementations and made my own java implementation, some years ago. I have plans to port it to julia, but that has currently no priority and may last some years. Meanwhile - why not coding by yourself? You won't find any other language making it easier to code a prototype and turn it into a highly efficient production algorithm running heavy load on a CUDA enabled GPGPU.
I recommend this quite new publication, to start with: Nonlinear identification using orthogonal forward regression with nested optimal regularization

How do I make script to teach machine how to play game like this? (Youtube)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXe-BTXAnQ9VaQQZnlC608A
This guy made machine learning script and teach machine
how to play Super Mario and complete each level.
There's FAQ document in the description of every his video
that he's using LUA to make this script but I don't even know where
to start and can't find any tutorial on youtube how to make something like this
My goal is make machine learning script for other games and see
the machine learning how to play and complete various levels
Could you please guide me where I can start and what I should learn to make script like this?
and I prefer programming language easier to learn if there is other option.
Consider the following:
Are you a beginner programmer? If so, diving into machine learning will prove to be frustrating. You need a solid foundation first in programming principles.
The next level would be to use a machine learning library. The core ML algorithms are then already written and optimized and you just need to learn how to integrate them into your own programs. Don't be fooled though - to do this well still requires a solid understanding of ML principles. There are existing libraries for Lua and Python. That is a good place to start.
I would consider looking at Andrew Ng's introductory material (book and videos) on ML. Warning! He knows what he is talking about and does offer up quite a bit of advanced material as well. Don't start with that.
There are excellent, advanced books on the subject that explain the mathematical principles behind the apparent magic of ML. If you already did all of the above and are still sticking with it, then this would be the way to go next. You could work on your own implementation of ML and apply that to any domain.
I'm gonna guess that you are at the first bullet point still. Be patient. Learn to program well. Get exposure to ML ideas. Plan on that video game ML application some years from now.

Need answer about some Machine Learning related questions?

Recently, we planned to build a system for image processing to extract info from images. At present we are using AWS Rekognition to do that. But, in some cases, we are not getting accurate information from AWS. So, we've planned to build our own custom one.
We've 4/5 months to do that. At least a POC version. Also, we've planned to use Tensorflow for that. We all have no prior experience about Machine Learning & Deep Learning but already have 5/6yrs of experience on Computer Programming by using different languages.
Currently, I'm studying ML from a course of Udemy & my approach to solve this problem is...
Learn Machine Learning(ML)
Learn Deep Learning(DL)
Above ML & DL maybe I'll be ready to understand the whole thing & can able to build a system for Image Processing.
In abstract what I've understood is, I've to write one Deep Learning program in Python by using Tensorflow. By using that Program I've to build a Model. Then I've to train that Model by using some training data. Then, when my Model achieves a certain level of accuracy I'll use some test data.
Now, there some places at where I've bit confused & here are my questions regarding that confusion...
I know tensorflow is a library but at some places, it's also mentioned as a system. So, is it really a library(piece of code) only & something more than that?
I got some Image Processing Python code in Tensorflow tutorial section (https://www.tensorflow.org/tutorials/image_recognition). We've tested that code & it's working exactly the way AWS Recognition service work. So, here my doubt is... can I use this Python code as it is in our production work?
After train a model with some training data does those training data get part of the whole system or Machine Learning Model extract some META info from those training data & keep with itself rather whole raw training data(in my case it'll be raw images).
Can I do all these ML+DL programmings over my Linux System? It has Pentium 4 with 8GB RAM.
Also, want to know... the approach which I've mentioned to build a solution for my problem is sufficient or I need to do something else also.
Need some guidance to clear out all these confusion.
Thanks
1 : tensor-flow is like anything else we have been worked with (like Numpy ) but only difference is we have to first defined what we want to use the use it , every thing in tensor-flow are running into a computational graph and evaluating every thing in that graph require a Session , we could call it library because it just piece of code and have interface in python , and system because of all those mechanism it uses
2 :
can I use this Python code as it is in our production work? Why not !
3:
yes you could do that with your system , but the main advantage of tensor-flow and theano , .. the tool like those is that you could run your code on GPU it a more faster way than on CPU because the GPU could handle a lot more matrix multiplication and stuff like that
4:
you know you don't have to learn all the machine learning stuff to built a image recognition system , it may be take years for you to understand whats going on there , Udemy course is very good source but you I highly recommend you to see the machine learning courses of coursera , there is to courses there about machine learning : the great Andrew NG course and Emily fox course , the first one is more theoretical than practical , but second on is more practical ,
and about the Deep learning , there is nothing fancy about Deep learning and it's just a method in machine learning , after you gain some experience in machine learning and understood some basic or you could do it right know , go to fast.ai , it has a really good course about deep learning for coder and it's also free
I hope this will help you

What is the best programming language to implement neural networks?

I'm not looking for a Neural Networks library, since I'm creating new kinds of networks. For that I need a good "dataflow" language.
Of course you can do this in C, C++, Java and co. but dealing from scratch with the multithreading etc. would be a nightmare.
At the other extremity, languages like Oz or Erlang seem more adapted, but they don't have many libraries, and they are harder to master (it's easy to play with them, but is it OK to create complete software ?).
What would you suggest ?
I watched an interesting conference presentation about using Erlang for Neural Networks. You might want to check it out:
From Telecom Networks to Neural Networks; Erlang, as the unintentional Neural Network Programming Language
I also know that the presented system is going to be open-sourced any day now according the authors tweet.
Erlang is very well suited for NN.
Neurons can be modeled by processes (no problem with having millions of them)
Connections/synapses can be represented by PIDs of target neuron. It is very easy to initialize such a network as part of standard init procedure in OTP. Communication would be realized by message passing.
Maybe it would be good to have global address space in ETS/mnesia (build in datastores) in order to do dynamic reconfiguration of network structure.
Pattern matching in receive block can determine what kind of signal neuron receives and modify it on the fly.
It would be very easy to monitor such a network.
Also consider that Erlang NN would be 'live' all the time. You would be able to query neurons, layers, routers etc any time.
In C/C++ you just read current state of arrays/data structure.
Regarding performance, we all know that C/C++ is orders of magnitude faster than Erlang,
however NN topic is tricky.
If the network would hold very few neurons, in very wide address space, in regular array,
iterating over it again and again could be costly (in C). Equivalent situation in Erlang would be solved by single query to root/roots (input layer) neurons, which would propagate query directly to well addressed neighborhs.
DXNN1, and DXNN2 which was built and introduced in the textbook: Handbook of Neuroevolution Through Erlang: http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Neuroevolution-Through-Erlang-Gene/dp/1461444624/ref=zg_bs_760204_22
Are open source and available at: https://github.com/CorticalComputer
If you are interested in data flow programming and multi-threading then I would suggest National Instruments LabVIEW. In this case you don't need to bother about multi-threading since its already there and you can also use OOP since now OOP is also native with LabVIEW. LabVIEW OOP is also purely based on data flow programming paradigm.
If you have any Java experience, then use Scala which is a JVM language that is based on the same concept of "actors" as Erlang. But it is less strict than Erlang and can easily use any existing Java libraries.
Then, when you find a computationally expensive task that would work better in Erlang, you can use Erlang's jinterface library to communicate between your Scala code and your distributed Erlang nodes.
Using Java does not mean dealing from scratch with multithreading - just use one of numerous Java Actor Libraries.
It's not a language in and of itself, but Emergent is very powerful and can be highly customized (it has a full scripting language).
It's open source, too, which could be helpful as a guide if you need to make your own version for your novel architectures.
Why reinvent the wheel? Try PyBrain. It's free and very comprehensive:
Quickstart
Another big plus for Erlang is full integration with Drakon
http://drakon-editor.sourceforge.net/drakon-erlang/intro.html
It all depends on your application. C++, Python are some good programming languages for machine learning

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