The precise categorization of brief texts holds significant importance in various applications within the ever-changing realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP). Short texts are everywhere in the digital world, from social media updates to customer reviews and feedback. Nevertheless, short texts’ limited length and context pose unique challenges for accurate classification. This research article delves into the influence of data sorting methods on the quality of manual labeling in hierarchical classification, with a particular focus on short texts. The study is set against the backdrop of the increasing reliance on manual labeling in AI and NLP, highlighting its significance in the accuracy of hierarchical text classification. Methodologically, the study integrates AI, notably zero-shot learning, with human annotation processes to examine the efficacy of various data-sorting strategies. The results demonstrate how different sorting approaches impact the accuracy and consistency of manual labeling, a critical aspect of creating high-quality datasets for NLP applications. The study’s findings reveal a significant time efficiency improvement in terms of labeling, where ordered manual labeling required 760 min per 1000 samples, compared to 800 min for traditional manual labeling, illustrating the practical benefits of optimized data sorting strategies. Comparatively, ordered manual labeling achieved the highest mean accuracy rates across all hierarchical levels, with figures reaching up to 99% for segments, 95% for families, 92% for classes, and 90% for bricks, underscoring the efficiency of structured data sorting. It offers valuable insights and practical guidelines for improving labeling quality in hierarchical classification tasks, thereby advancing the precision of text analysis in AI-driven research. This abstract encapsulates the article’s background, methods, results, and conclusions, providing a comprehensive yet succinct study overview.
Hierarchical classification, which organizes items into structured categories and subcategories, has emerged as a powerful solution for handling large and complex datasets. However, traditional flat classification approaches often overlook the hierarchical dependencies between classes, leading to suboptimal predictions and limited interpretability. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a novel integration of tree-based models with hierarchical-aware split criteria through adjusted entropy calculations. The proposed method calculates entropy at multiple hierarchical levels, ensuring that the model respects the taxonomic structure during training. This approach aligns statistical optimization with class semantic relationships, enabling more accurate and coherent predictions. Experiments conducted on real-world datasets structured according to the GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC) system demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. The proposed model was applied using tree-based ensemble methods combined with the newly developed hierarchy-aware metric Penalized Information Gain (PIG). PIG was implemented with level-wise entropy adjustments, assigning greater weight to higher hierarchical levels to maintain the taxonomic structure. The model was trained and evaluated on two real-world datasets based on the GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC) system. The final dataset included approximately 30,000 product descriptions spanning four hierarchical levels. An 80-20 train–test split was used, with model hyperparameters optimized through 5-fold cross-validation and Bayesian search. The experimental results showed a 12.7% improvement in classification accuracy at the lowest hierarchy level compared to traditional flat classification methods, with significant gains in datasets featuring highly imbalanced class distributions and deep hierarchies. The proposed approach also increased the F1 score by 12.6%. Despite these promising results, challenges remain in scaling the model for very large datasets and handling classes with limited training samples. Future research will focus on integrating neural networks with hierarchy-aware metrics, enhancing data augmentation to address class imbalance, and developing real-time classification systems for practical use in industries such as retail, logistics, and healthcare.
21 February 2025 in Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies
The object of this study is the process of constructing hierarchical classifiers for textual data within a defined taxonomy. The task addressed focuses on minimizing cascading errors and enhancing classification consistency across all hierarchy levels, a critical challenge for deep and imbalanced hierarchical structures. The proposed model leverages the Penalized Information Gain (PIG) criterion with dynamically adjusted weight coefficients. A model for hierarchical text classification has been built. It aims to improve classification accuracy and preserve the structural logic of data within multi-level taxonomies. Data featuring a multi-level taxonomy that meets classification requirements have been synthesized and are employed for training and testing classifiers. The performance of local and global hierarchical classification models was compared against conventional classifiers that do not account for taxonomic relationships between classes. The results demonstrate that using weight coefficients based on hierarchical levels enables an adequate representation of taxonomic dependences, which is crucial for maintaining data integrity and improving categorization quality at various levels. Experimental findings show an 8 % increase in the F1 score at the class and subclass levels. A distinctive feature of the model built is the integration of dynamic weights into the splitting criterion, which allows hierarchical dependences between classes to be effectively addressed and cascading errors, typical of conventional approaches, to be minimized. The model’s practical application spans product management systems in e-commerce, text analytics in the restaurant business, and automated categorization systems for multi-level structures