Introducing a new high-resolution handwritten digits data set with writer characteristics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a high-resolution handwritten digit dataset with writer characteristics, enabling new research avenues in classification, semi-supervised learning, and style generation, and provides initial benchmarks and analyses.

Contribution

It presents a novel high-resolution handwritten digit dataset with writer characteristics, not available in MNIST, and analyzes its potential for classification, semi-supervised learning, and image generation.

Findings

Predictability of writer characteristics assessed

Higher resolution improves classification accuracy

Semi-supervised methods enhance performance

Abstract

The contributions in this article are two-fold. First, we introduce a new hand-written digit data set that we collected. It contains high-resolution images of hand-written The contributions in this article are two-fold. First, we introduce a new handwritten digit data set that we collected. It contains high-resolution images of handwritten digits together with various writer characteristics which are not available in the well-known MNIST database. The multiple writer characteristics gathered are a novelty of our data set and create new research opportunities. The data set is publicly available online. Second, we analyse this new data set. We begin with simple supervised tasks. We assess the predictability of the writer characteristics gathered, the effect of using some of those characteristics as predictors in classification task and the effect of higher resolution images on classification accuracy. We also explore semi-supervised applications; we can leverage the high quantity of handwritten digits data sets already existing online to improve the accuracy of various classifications task with noticeable success. Finally, we also demonstrate the generative perspective offered by this new data set; we are able to generate images that mimics the writing style of specific writers. The data set has unique and distinct features and our analysis establishes benchmarks and showcases some of the new opportunities made possible with this new data set.