Other Tools

Other Tools

Darwin (Thinking Machines). Darwin is a set of tools oriented toward classification and regression. Like other suites it incorporates multiple paradigms. StarTree is used for building decision trees using a CART-based algorithm. StarNet is included for creating models using several neural networks. It supports five possible training architectures: back-propagation, steepest descent, conjugate gradient, and modified Newton. Darwin also contains a genetic algorithm for optimization problems called StarGene. Another component called StarMatch produces clustering models using the k-nearest neighbor algorithm. A final component, StarData, is used for data preparation and analysis. A scripting facility lets users record and play back data mining analyses.

Darwin has a GUI for building models using each of these components. The algorithms are parallelized for handling large amounts of data. Darwin?s use of multiple algorithms for model building broadens the range of problems on which the product can effectively work. Although developed by Thinking Machines to take advantage of scalable platforms, the weakness of this tool is its output, specifically the format of its solutions?it lacks visualization. For reporting its modeling results Darwin relies on the spreadsheet Excel, through integration with MS Office.

Decision Series (NeoVista). Decision Series is basically a custom built set of applications bundled with their Professional Services consultancy. Their Decision Series is a suite of customized data mining tools that provide different models and technologies. DecisionNet is a back-propagation neural network tool, employing a proprietary technique closely related to radial basis functions, and can be used for classification...

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