Combining feature extraction and expansion to improve classification based similarity learning

Metric learning has been shown to outperform standard classification based similarity learning in a number of different contexts. In this paper, we show that the performance of classification similarity learning strongly depends on the data format used to learn the model. We then present an Enriched Classification Similarity Learning method that follows a hybrid approach that combines both feature extraction and feature expansion. In particular, we propose a data transformation and the use of a set of standard distances to supplement the information provided by the feature vectors of the training samples. The method is compared to state-of-the-art feature extraction and metric learning approaches, using linear learning algorithms in both a classification and a regression experimental setting. Results obtained show comparable performances in favor of the method proposed.