Sparse Ensemble Networks for Hyperspectral Image Classification

We explore the efficacy of sparsity and ensemble model in the classification of hyperspectral images, a pivotal task in remote sensing applications. While Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Transformer models have shown promise in this domain, each exhibits distinct limitations; CNNs excel in capturing the spatial/local features but falter to capture spectral features, whereas Transformers captures the spectral features at the expense of spatial features. Furthermore, the computational cost associated with training several independent CNN and Transformer networks becomes expensive. To address these limitations, we propose a novel ensemble framework comprising pruned CNNs and Transformers, optimizing both spatial and spectral feature utilization while curbing computational costs. By integrating sparsity through model pruning, our approach effectively reduces redundancy and computational complexity without compromising accuracy. Through extensive experimentation, we find that our method achieves comparable accuracy to its non-sparse counterparts while decreasing the computational cost. Our contribution enhances remote sensing analytics by demonstrating the potential of sparse and ensemble models in improving the precision and computational efficiency of hyperspectral image classification.