Impact of reference datasets and autocorrelation on classification accuracy
Reference data and accuracy assessments via error matrices build the foundation for measuring success of classifications. An error matrix is often based on the traditional holdout method that utilizes only one training/test dataset. If the training/test dataset does not fully represent the variability in a population, accuracy may be over – or under – estimated. Furthermore, reference data may be flawed by spatial errors or autocorrelation that may lead to overoptimistic results.