Machine Learning in Geomechanics 1

1Overview of Machine Learning in Geomechanics

Ioannis STEFANOU

GeM, UMR 6183, CNRS, Ecole Centrale Nantes, Nantes Université, France

1.1. What exactly is machine learning?

One of the best methods for making a puppy learn its name is to play the name game:

1) Take your puppy to a quiet place and gain its attention by calling its name in a happy and reassuring tone (e.g. “LoupI look at me!” or “LoupI come here!”).

2) As soon as you have gained its attention, reward it with a treat to encourage its good behavior.

3) Repeat this process several times until your puppy has learned to respond to its name.

In the above iterative process, the puppy learns from experience that reacting when you call its name is a good thing. By repeating this process, the puppy recognizes the pattern between similar, but not identical, vocal signals of its name (training data) and associates them with a specific behavior (task).

Many cognitive processes of humans involve a similar way for associating patterns with specific reactions; for instance, see how we learn to drive a car, speak a foreign language or even understand how a geomaterial behaves!

Machine learning (ML) is an anthropomorphic extension of the above process of “learning” to a computer program, that is, to the machine. By learning, the machine will progressively improve its performance in executing a specific task. According to Mitchell (1997), ML can be defined as follows:

A computer program is said to learn from experience E with respect ...