Multi-label Classification with Error-correcting Codes

We formulate a framework for applying error-correcting codes (ECC) on multi-label classification problems. The framework treats some base learners as noisy channels and uses ECC to correct the prediction errors made by the learners. An immediate use of the framework is a novel ECC-based explanation of the popular random k-label-sets (RAKEL) algorithm using a simple repetition ECC. Using the framework, we empirically compare a broad spectrum of ECC designs for multi-label classification. The results not only demonstrate that RAKEL can be improved by applying some stronger ECC, but also show that the traditional Binary Relevance approach can be enhanced by learning more parity-checking labels. In addition, our study on different ECC helps understand the trade-off between the strength of ECC and the hardness of the base learning tasks.