Publications by Matt Bowers

SHAP from Scratch

04.08.2024

Ahh, SHAP. As you know it’s become one of the leading frameworks for explaining ML model predictions. I’d guess it’s popularity is due to its appealing theoretical basis, its universal applicability to any type of ML model, and its easy-to-use python package. SHAP promises to turn your black box ML model into a nice friendly interpretable mod...

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The Ultimate Guide to XGBoost Parameter Tuning

26.12.2023

Ahh, the dark art of hyperparameter tuning. It’s a key step in the machine learning workflow, and it’s an activity that can easily be overlooked or be overkill. Therefore, dear reader, it is an art that requires the application of both skill and wisdom to realize its full potential while avoiding its perils. Today I’ll show you my approach fo...

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XGBoost for Binary and Multi-Class Classification in Python

28.11.2023

Today we continue the saga on gradient boosting with a down-to-Earth tutorial on the essentials of solving classification problems with XGBoost. We’ll run through two examples: one for binary classification and another for multi-class classification. In both cases I’ll show you how to train XGBoost models using either the scikit-learn interface...

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Gradient Boosting Multi-Class Classification from Scratch

14.10.2023

Tell me dear reader, who among us, while gazing in wonder at the improbably verdant aloe vera clinging to the windswept rock at Cape Point near the southern tip of Africa, hasn’t wondered: how the heck do gradient boosting trees implement multi-class classification? Today, we’ll unravel this mystery by reviewing the theory and implementing the ...

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Blogging with Quarto and Jupyter: The Complete Guide

05.09.2023

Ahh, blogging. I think we can all agree it’s probably one of the greatest forms of written communication to have ever existed.Whats that you say? You’d like to set up your own blog? And you say you want to use a dead simple, data science friendly tech stack? And you wouldn’t be caught dead handing over your painstakingly crafted content to Me...

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XGBoost for Regression in Python

17.09.2023

In this post I’m going to show you my process for solving regression problems with XGBoost in python, using either the native xgboost API or the scikit-learn interface. This is a powerful methodology that can produce world class results in a short time with minimal thought or effort. While we’ll be working on an old Kagle competition for predic...

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