Attribute reduction based on observational consistency in intuitionistic fuzzy multi-covering decision systems

Attribute reduction is an important issue in data mining, machine learning and other applications of big data processing. Covering-based rough set and intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) set models are both the effective theoretical tools of uncertainty or imprecise computation, and thus IF covering rough set model has been acknowledged as a positive approach to attribute reduction. Based on IF covering rough set model, this study explores a kind of parameterized IF observational consistency in IF multi-covering decision system, and proposes an attribute reduction method. This article firstly defines the concepts of regular IF beta-covering, parameterized IF observational sets on the regular IF beta-covering approximation space. Secondly, the parameterized IF observational consistency is defined to be the principal of attribute reduction in the IF multi-covering decision system, and the related IF discernibility matrix is developed to provide a way of attribute reduction. For multi-observational consistency corresponding to an observational parameters set, an unified multi-observational discernibility matrix is constructed, which avoids the disadvantage of needing to construct multiple corresponding discernibility matrices separately. Furthermore, an attribute reduction algorithm based on iterative dissolving of unified multi-observational discernibility matrix is proposed, and the experiment to demonstrate effectiveness of algorithm is presented. Experiments with UCI datasets shows that, the proposed method is a good way for improving both the rates of attribute-reduced and the classification accuracy of reduced datasets.