A Spatial Entropy-Based Decision Tree for Classification of Geographical Information

A decision tree is a classification algorithm that automatically derives a hierarchy of partition rules with respect to a target attribute of a large dataset. However, spatial autocorrelation makes conventional decision trees underperform for geographical datasets as the spatial distribution is not taken into account. The research presented in this paper introduces the concept of a spatial decision tree based on a spatial diversity coefficient that measures the spatial entropy of a geo-referenced dataset. The principle of this solution is to take into account the spatial autocorrelation phenomena in the classification process, within a notion of spatial entropy that extends the conventional notion of entropy. Such a spatial entropy-based decision tree integrates the spatial autocorrelation component and generates a classification process adapted to geographical data. A case study oriented to the classification of an agriculture dataset in China illustrates the potential of the proposed approach.