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Graph-Based vs. Vector-Based Classification: A Fair Comparison

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Graph-Based Representations in Pattern Recognition (GbRPR 2023)

Abstract

Numerous graph classifiers are readily available and frequently used in both research and industry. Ensuring their performance across multiple domains and applications is crucial. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of three commonly used graph-based classifiers across 24 graph datasets (we employ classifiers based on graph matchings, graph kernels, and graph neural networks). Our goal is to find out what primarily affects the performance of these classifiers in different tasks. To this end, we compare each of the three classifiers in three different scenarios. In the first scenario, the classifier has access to the original graphs, in the second scenario, the same classifier has access only to the structure of the graph (without labels), and in the third scenario, we replace the graph-based classifiers with a corresponding related statistical classifier, which has access only to an aggregated feature vector of the graph labels. On the basis of this exhaustive evaluation, we are able to suggest whether or not certain graph datasets are suitable for specific benchmark comparisons.

Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) under Grant Nr. 200021_188496.

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Correspondence to Anthony Gillioz .

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Gillioz, A., Riesen, K. (2023). Graph-Based vs. Vector-Based Classification: A Fair Comparison. In: Vento, M., Foggia, P., Conte, D., Carletti, V. (eds) Graph-Based Representations in Pattern Recognition. GbRPR 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14121. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42795-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42795-4_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-42794-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-42795-4

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