ICML competition and workshop on Physiological Data Modeling

[Dave Andre]

			  ICML 2004 workshop

	    The Physiological Data Modeling Contest (PDMC)
		     A Machine Learning Challenge

			    July 8th, 2004
			Banff, Alberta, Canada
 	  http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/sherstov/pdmc
<http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/sherstov/pdmc> 
                 


Physiological data offers many challenges to the machine learning
community including dealing with large amounts of data, sequential
data, issues of sensor fusion, and a rich domain complete with noise,
hidden variables, and significant effects of context.

The Physiological Data Modeling Contest (PDMC) will challenge
participants to exhibit machine learning algorithms for classification
and regression on data taken using BodyMedia (www.bodymedia.com
<www.bodymedia.com> )
wearable body monitors.  These devices collect and store continuous
data from multiple sensors packaged in an unobtrusive armband.

To enable this contest, BodyMedia is providing a rich dataset
comprising several months of data from more than two dozen
subjects. Features include raw data such as skin temperature, heat
flux, galvanic skin response, and vital statistics of the user.  The
tasks include detecting classes of activity being engaged in by the
user (e.g. walking, sleeping, watching TV, etc.) based on the values
of these features.  The training data is available now; the test data
will be released approximately four weeks before the workshop; and the
competitors will submit entries consisting of predictions for this test
data shortly before ICML 2004.

At the workshop, the performance of each entrant will be announced and
the various techniques discussed and analyzed in detail. A small prize
will be awarded to the winning competitors.  Entrants will be invited
to contribute papers describing their approaches to a special issue of
a technical journal or magazine.

The intended audience is machine learning researchers and professors
currently teaching machine learning classes.

Complete details are available on the contest website:

     http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/sherstov/pdmc
<http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/sherstov/pdmc> 


Important dates (tentative)
===============
     NOW:  Send your expression of interest to the organizers
 2 April:  Notice of intent to participate due
 1 June :  Test data set released and announced
18 June :  Entry submission deadline
 8 July :  Workshop/results


Organizers
==========
David Andre, dandre at BodyMedia.com, BodyMedia, Inc. (co-chair) 
Peter Stone, pstone at cs.utexas.edu, UT Austin (co-chair) 
Alexander Sherstov, sherstov at cs.utexas.edu, UT Austin
Maxence Crossley, max at BodyMedia.com, BodyMedia, Inc.