Role of statistics in data mining

Data mining is the process of extracting information from raw data such that it leads us to take necessary action according to the produced data trends.

How data mining help us in making decisions from the raw data
How data mining help us in making decisions from the raw data

In this regard, statistics plays a significant role by providing the fundamentals for understanding the key features of large datasets. In this Answer, we will cover the various stages of data mining and explore the crucial role of statistics in every stage with code illustrations to understand different concepts.

Stages of data mining

Here are the stages of data mining:

  • Data exploration

  • Data preprocessing

  • Sampling techniques

  • Hypothesis techniques

  • Model evaluation

  • Feature selection

Data exploration

We analyze the dataset's trends, outliers, and characteristics in this phase. For this, we use statistics to understand the correlations and dependencies among the features in the dataset and visualize scatter plots, histograms, box plots, and heat maps.

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Generating the random data
data = np.random.normal(loc=0, scale=1, size=1000)
mean = np.mean(data)
median = np.median(data)
std_dev = np.std(data)
print("Mean:", mean)
print("Median:", median)
print("Standard Deviation:", std_dev)
# Plotting the Histogram
plt.hist(data, bins=30, edgecolor='black')
plt.xlabel('Values')
plt.ylabel('Frequency')
plt.title('Histogram of Random Data')
plt.savefig("./output/Plot.png")
plt.show()

Data preprocessing

Data preprocessing involves handling the missing data in the dataset, scaling and normalizing the data, encoding categorical variables, and reducing dimensions while preserving the essential features of the data set. All these statistical methods help mine the data.

import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
# A DataSet with missing values in it.
data = pd.DataFrame({'A': [1, 2, np.nan, 4, 5],
'B': [6, np.nan, 8, 9, 10]})
# Dropping the rows with missing values
data_cleaned = data.dropna()
# Filling missing values with the mean of a column
data_imputed = data.fillna(data.mean())
print("Cleaned Data:")
print(data_cleaned)
print("Imputed Data:")
print(data_imputed)

Sampling techniques

Sampling techniques or sampling distributions are an integral part of statistics. Different samples are taken from the same population in a sample distribution, and sample mean and deviation are calculated. This technique helps us determine parameters such as the mean and deviation of the population. It also helps us quantify the uncertainty associated with the sample data set.

import random
# Original dataset
dataset = list(range(100))
# Random sampling
sample_random = random.sample(dataset, 10)
# Stratified sampling
strata = [0] * 50 + [1] * 50 # Two strata
sample_stratified = random.choices(dataset, weights=strata, k=10)
print("Random Sample:", sample_random)
print("Stratified Sample:", sample_stratified)

Hypothesis techniques

In this data mining stage, we use statistical techniques or methods to make inferences about the population dataset with the help of a sample dataset. It involves collecting data, using the null and alternative hypotheses, and performing statistical methods to evaluate the evidence against the null hypothesis.

from scipy.stats import ttest_ind
import numpy as np
# Sample data from two groups
group1 = np.random.normal(loc=0, scale=1, size=100)
group2 = np.random.normal(loc=1, scale=1, size=100)
# Independent t-test
t_stat, p_value = ttest_ind(group1, group2)
print("T-statistic:", t_stat)
print("P-value:", p_value)

Model evaluation

This part involves the assessment of the model with respect to the unseen data or measuring the performance of different models and deciding which model will be best for a specific dataset. We can assess the model's performance with the help of different parameters such as the F1-score, mean squared error, etc. By these statistical parameters, we can assess the underfitting or overfitting of the model.

from sklearn.model_selection import cross_val_score
from sklearn.linear_model import LogisticRegression
from sklearn.metrics import accuracy_score
import numpy as np
# Generate sample data
X = np.random.normal(loc=0, scale=1, size=(100, 2))
y = np.random.choice([0, 1], size=100)
# Logistic Regression model
model = LogisticRegression()
# Cross-validation
scores = cross_val_score(model, X, y, cv=5)
mean_accuracy = np.mean(scores)
print("Cross-Validation Scores:", scores)
print("Mean Accuracy:", mean_accuracy)

Feature selection

In data mining, we select features with more information, which means we can find the correlation between the features and the model output. Those features that have a strong correlation with the target will be selected. Another method for feature selection is principle component analysis, where we transform the original features into a smaller set of features with the most negligible correlation.

Conclusion

In summary, in this Answer, we have seen the role of statistics in data mining. Now, solve this quiz to test your understanding of the relationship between statistics and data mining.

Q

What is the role of statistics in data mining?

A)

It helps in data preprocessing and visualizing data trends.

B)

It helps in selecting the suitable features from the large dataset.

C)

It helps in identifying the relationship among the features of the dataset.

D)

All of the above.

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