If you want to use a tree-based classifier, there is an experimental branch that can handle categorical feature data.
https://github.com/scikit-learn/scikit-learn/pull/4899 > On Aug 14, 2015, at 7:03 AM, Andreas Mueller <t3k...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Why do you think one-hot will be an "explosion"? > In your example, the vector would be length 8 (if there are values from a to > f, that is, you gave the largest possible sets). > > > On 08/14/2015 09:01 AM, federico vaggi wrote: >> Hi, >> >> Simple example: >> >> Let's say that I have a binary classification task, and my input vector >> consists of two disjunct sects of categorical variables - something like: >> >> X1 = {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'} and X2 = {'e', 'd', 'b', 'f'} >> >> The order within the sets does not matter (obviously), but it matters that >> the elements of X1 are conceptually separate from those of X2. >> >> All the categorical variables come from the same set. >> >> Is there a clever encoding that: >> >> - Emphasizes that order within each set does not matter >> - Avoids explosion with one-hot encoding everything? >> >> Federico >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Scikit-learn-general mailing list >> >> Scikit-learn-general@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scikit-learn-general > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > _______________________________________________ > Scikit-learn-general mailing list > Scikit-learn-general@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scikit-learn-general ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Scikit-learn-general mailing list Scikit-learn-general@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scikit-learn-general
