Boosting linear discriminant analysis for face recognition

In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to boost performance of traditional linear discriminant analysis (LDA)-based face recognition (FR) methods in complex FR tasks, where highly nonlinear face pattern distributions are often encountered. The algorithm embodies the principle of "divide and conquer", by which a complex problem, is decomposed into a set of simpler ones, each of which can be conquered by a relatively easy solution. The Ad-aBoost technique is utilized within this framework to: 1) generalize a set of simple FR sub-problems and their corresponding LDA solutions; 2) combine results from the multiple, relatively weak, LDA solutions to form a very strong solution. Experimentation performed on the FERET database indicates that the proposed methodology is able to greatly enhance performance of the traditional LDA-based method with an averaged improvement of correct recognition rate (CRR) up to 9% reported.