SEQUENCE NETWORKS AND GAN ASSIGNMENT

Name-Prajwal MJ
Class-7D
USN-ENG21CS0302

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INTRODUCTION
This report outlines the step-by-step development of a Convolutional Neural
Network (CNN) to solve the MNIST handwritten digit classification problem.
The MNIST dataset, widely used in computer vision, includes 60,000 training
images and 10,000 test images of single-digit numbers (0–9). Each digit is
represented as a grayscale image of 28x28 pixels. The goal of this project is to
classify these images accurately by building a CNN model from scratch,
evaluating it thoroughly, optimizing its performance, and deploying it for
prediction.

OBJECTIVES
1. Build and train a CNN model to classify handwritten digits in the MNIST
dataset.
2. Establish a reliable model evaluation framework using techniques like k-fold
cross-validation.
3. Optimize model architecture and parameters to improve performance.
4. Finalize and save the mode for real-world application and prediction tasks.

STEPS
1. Setting Up the Development Environment
 The tutorial uses Python 3 with Keras running on top of TensorFlow, a
popular framework for deep learning.
 Anaconda is recommended for environment setup, simplifying the
installation and management of required packages.
 The development environment requires the following libraries:
 TensorFlow/Keras: To build and train the CNN.
 NumPy: For numerical operations and data manipulation.
 Matplotlib: For visualizing data and model learning curves.

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2. Understanding and Preprocessing the MNIST Dataset
 The MNIST dataset contains grayscale images of digits (0-9), each in a
28x28 pixel format.
 Images are preprocessed as follows:
 Reshape the images to include a single color channel, making them
compatible with CNN input requirements (28x28x1).
 Normalize pixel values from their original range of [0, 255] to [0, 1].
This helps stabilize the learning process and accelerates convergence.

3. Developing the Baseline CNN Model

 The baseline model is designed with a simple architecture suitable for
image classification:
 Input Layer: The input shape is (28, 28, 1), corresponding to the reshaped
grayscale images.
 Convolutional Layer: A single convolutional layer with 32 filters and a
kernel size of 3x3. The activation function is ReLU, and the kernel
initializer is "he_uniform."
 Pooling Layer: A max-pooling layer reduces the spatial dimensions of the
feature maps, helping to reduce computational load and capture important
features.
Flattening Layer: Converts the 2D feature maps into a 1D array to prepare
for the dense layer.
 Dense Layer: A dense layer with 100 neurons and ReLU activation to
interpret the features extracted by the convolutional layers.
 Output Layer: Uses softmax activation with 10 neurons (one for each
digit class) to output probabilities for each class.

 # define cnn model

 def define_model():
 model = Sequential()
 model.add(Conv2D(32, (3, 3), activation='relu',
kernel_initializer='he_uniform', input_shape=(28, 28, 1)))
 model.add(MaxPooling2D((2, 2)))
 model.add(Flatten())
 model.add(Dense(100, activation='relu',
kernel_initializer='he_uniform'))
 model.add(Dense(10, activation='softmax'))
 # compile model

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  opt = SGD(learning_rate=0.01, momentum=0.9)
 model.compile(optimizer=opt, loss='categorical_crossentropy',
metrics=['accuracy'])
 return model

The baseline model is compiled with:

 Optimizer: Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) with a learning rate of
0.01 and a momentum of 0.9.
 Loss Function: Categorical Cross-Entropy, as it is suited for multi-class
classification.
 Metric: Classification accuracy to assess model performance.
4. Model Evaluation Methodology
 K-Fold Cross-Validation:
 The baseline model is evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation, where the
dataset is split into 5 parts, and the model is trained on 4 parts and
validated on the remaining part in each fold.
 Cross-validation helps evaluate model performance, ensuring that the
model generalizes well across different subsets of data.
Learning Curves:
 During each training run, the accuracy and loss are tracked and plotted to
create learning curves.
 These curves provide insights into whether the model is underfitting,
overfitting, or has an appropriate fit for the data.

5. Model Improvement Techniques

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  Batch Normalization:
Batch normalization is applied to stabilize learning and improve
performance. It is added after each convolutional and dense layer to
normalize the output distribution, accelerating convergence.
 Increasing Model Depth:
The depth of the CNN is increased by adding additional convolutional
and pooling layers, following a structure similar to VGG-like
architectures.
 Each convolutional layer block is followed by a pooling layer, with more
filters (e.g., 64 filters) added in deeper layers to capture more complex
patterns.
 Hyperparameter Tuning:
Tuning the learning rate and exploring different optimizer configurations
help optimize model performance.
 Adjusting batch size and experimenting with deeper network structures
can also further enhance accuracy.
6. Finalizing and Saving the Model
 After refining the model, the final architecture is trained on the entire
training dataset.
 The model is saved in an H5 file format, enabling easy loading and
deployment in future applications.
 Evaluation on Test Set:
The final model is evaluated on the reserved test dataset to obtain a
realistic estimate of its performance on unseen data.
 Practical Application:
Saving the model allows it to be reused for predictions in a real-world
setting, making it possible to classify new handwritten digit images.
# fit model
model.fit(trainX, trainY, epochs=10, batch_size=32, verbose=0)

# save model
model.save('final_model.h5')

7. Making Predictions on New Data

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  The document includes a demonstration of how to use the saved model to
classify a new image.
 Steps for prediction:
 Load and preprocess the imageConvert it to grayscale, resize it to 28x28
pixels, and normalize the pixel values.
 Predict using the model: The image is passed through the model, which
outputs a probability distribution across the 10 digit classes.
 Interpret the result: The class with the highest probability is selected as
the predicted digit.

Robust Model Evaluation:

 Cross-validation and learning curves are essential for assessing the
model’s ability to generalize.
 By analyzing learning curves, we can determine if a model is overfitting
or underfitting, allowing for targeted adjustments to the model structure.
 Preprocessing and Parameter Tuning:
 Preprocessing steps like reshaping and normalization have a significant
impact on the model’s training efficiency and accuracy.
 Techniques like batch normalization and model depth increase can
improve the model’s ability to capture complex patterns in the data.

Real-World Application Potential:

 The CNN, though trained on the MNIST dataset, demonstrates a
methodology applicable to other image classification tasks.
 This model can be adapted to different datasets with minimal
modifications to preprocessing and architecture, supporting a wide range
of applications in computer vision.

CONCLUSION

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The tutorial provides a thorough approach to building, evaluating, and
deploying a CNN for handwritten digit classification. By following these steps,
developers gain a robust understanding of CNNs and practical techniques for
optimizing performance. The methodology demonstrated here can be easily
adapted to other datasets and classification problems, making it a valuable
learning resource for machine learning practitioners.