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AUK: a simple alternative to the AUC

Author

Listed:
  • Kaymak, U.
  • Ben-David, A.
  • Potharst, R.

Abstract

The area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, also known as the AUC-index, is commonly used for ranking the performance of data mining models. The AUC has many merits, such as objectivity and ease of interpretation. However, since it is class indifferent, its usefulness while dealing with highly skewed data sets is questionable, to say the least. In this paper, we propose a simple alternative scalar measure to the AUCindex, the Area Under an Kappa curve (AUK). The proposed AUK-index compensates for the above basic flaw of the AUC by being sensitive to the class distribution. Therefore it is particularly suitable for measuring classifiers’ performance on skewed data sets. After introducing the AUK we explore its mathematical relationship with the AUC and show that there is a nonlinear relation between them.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaymak, U. & Ben-David, A. & Potharst, R., 2010. "AUK: a simple alternative to the AUC," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2010-024-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
  • Handle: RePEc:ems:eureri:19678
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    AUC; AUK; H-measure; Kappa index; ROC curve; area under ROC curve; model ranking; model selection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • M - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics
    • M11 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Production Management
    • R4 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics

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