1.
Data Cleaning
Load the Dataset:
o Download the Adult dataset from the UCI Machine Learning
Repository.
o Load the dataset into your preferred environment (e.g., Python
using Pandas).
Handle Missing Values:
o Identify missing values (e.g., "?" in categorical columns).
o Decide on a strategy to handle missing values (e.g., imputation,
removal).
Remove Duplicates:
o Check for duplicate rows and remove them if necessary.
Data Type Conversion:
o Ensure numerical columns are of type int or float.
o Ensure categorical columns are of type object or category.
Outlier Detection:
o Identify and handle outliers in numerical columns (e.g., using IQR or
Z-score).
2. Data Preparation
Feature Engineering:
o Create new features if necessary (e.g., age groups, income
brackets).
o Encode categorical variables using techniques like One-Hot
Encoding or Label Encoding.
o Normalize or standardize numerical features (e.g., using
MinMaxScaler or StandardScaler).
Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA):
o Visualize distributions of features (e.g., histograms, box plots).
o Analyze correlations between features using a correlation matrix.
Dimensionality Reduction:
o Apply Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the
number of features while retaining variance.
o Analyze the explained variance ratio to decide on the number of
components.
Split the Data:
o Split the dataset into training and testing sets (e.g., 80-20 split).
3. Machine Learning Model Development
Select Classification Techniques:
o Choose at least 2 classification algorithms (e.g., Logistic Regression,
Decision Trees, Random Forest, SVM, etc.).
Model Training:
o Train each model on the training dataset.
Hyperparameter Tuning:
o Use techniques like Grid Search or Random Search to tune
hyperparameters (e.g., tree depth, pruning, number of layers).
o Perform k-fold cross-validation to evaluate model performance
during tuning.
Model Evaluation:
o Evaluate models on the test dataset using metrics like accuracy,
precision, recall, F1-score, and ROC-AUC.
o Generate confusion matrices for each model.
Compare Model Performance:
o Compare the performance of the models using evaluation metrics.
o Visualize results using tables and graphs (e.g., bar charts for F1-
scores).
4. Results and Communication
Summarize Findings:
o Create a summary table comparing the performance of the models.
o Highlight the best-performing model and justify your choice.
Visualizations:
o Include visualizations such as confusion matrices, ROC curves, and
feature importance plots.
Discuss Outcomes:
o Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each model.
o Explain the impact of hyperparameter tuning and cross-validation
on model performance.
Conclusion:
o Provide a clear conclusion based on your analysis.
o Suggest potential improvements or next steps (e.g., trying other
algorithms, feature engineering techniques).
5. Coding Tools and Libraries
Python Libraries:
o Use Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib/Seaborn for data cleaning,
preparation, and visualization.
o Use Scikit-learn for machine learning (e.g., PCA, classification
models, hyperparameter tuning, and evaluation metrics).
Notebook Environment:
o Use Jupyter Notebook or Google Colab for interactive coding and
documentation.
6. Deliverables
Code:
o Well-commented and structured code for all steps (cleaning,
preparation, modeling, evaluation).
Report:
o A concise report summarizing your approach, findings, and
conclusions.
o Include visualizations, tables, and metrics in the report.
Presentation (if required):
o Prepare a short presentation highlighting key steps and results.
