arXiv:2508.09888cs.LG2025-08被引 11

现代神经网络在小样本土壤数据上表现超越传统方法,推荐作为数字土壤制图新标准。

Modern Neural Networks for Small Tabular Datasets: The New Default for Field-Scale Digital Soil Mapping?

  • 对比31个农田级数据集,测试多种先进神经网络架构
  • 现代神经网络在多数任务中优于随机森林等经典方法,尤其TabPFN表现最佳
  • 适合土壤科学家快速建模,尤其小样本场景下更可靠

在土壤科学领域,基于表格的机器学习是利用遥感与近地传感数据预测土壤属性的核心方法,构成数字土壤制图(DSM)的关键。在田块尺度上,此类预测建模任务通常受限于小样本量和高特征-样本比,传统深度学习难以应对。长期以来,随机森林、偏最小二乘回归等经典算法是该领域的默认选择。近年来,面向表格数据的新型人工神经网络挑战了这一格局,但其在田块级数字土壤制图中的适用性尚未验证。本文构建了涵盖31个田块及农场级数据集的综合基准,样本量为30–460,评估了最新多层感知机(如TabM、RealMLP)、基于注意力机制的Transformer变体(如FT-Transformer、ExcelFormer、T2G-Former、AMFormer)、检索增强模型(如TabR、ModernNCA)以及上下文学习基础模型TabPFN。结果表明,现代神经网络在多数任务中持续优于传统方法,证明深度学习已足够成熟,可打破经典算法在土壤计量学中的长期主导地位。其中,TabPFN展现出最强鲁棒性,跨不同条件表现优异。因此建议将现代神经网络纳入数字土壤制图实践,并推荐将TabPFN作为每个土壤计量学家的新默认工具。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

In the field of pedometrics, tabular machine learning is the predominant method for soil property prediction from remote and proximal soil sensing data, forming a central component of Digital Soil Mapping (DSM). At the field-scale, this predictive soil modeling (PSM) task is typically constrained by small training sample sizes and high feature-to-sample ratios in soil spectroscopy. Traditionally, these conditions have proven challenging for conventional deep learning methods. Classical machine learning algorithms, particularly tree-based models like Random Forest and linear models such as Partial Least Squares Regression, have long been the default choice for pedometric modeling within DSM. Recent advances in artificial neural networks (ANN) for tabular data challenge this view, yet their suitability for field-scale DSM has not been proven. We introduce a comprehensive benchmark that evaluates state-of-the-art ANN architectures, including the latest multilayer perceptron (MLP)-based models (TabM, RealMLP), attention-based transformer variants (FT-Transformer, ExcelFormer, T2G-Former, AMFormer), retrieval-augmented approaches (TabR, ModernNCA), and an in-context learning foundation model (TabPFN). Our evaluation encompasses 31 field- and farm-scale datasets containing 30-460 soil samples and three critical soil properties: soil organic matter or soil organic carbon, pH, and clay content. Our results reveal that modern ANNs consistently outperform classical methods on the majority of tasks, demonstrating that deep learning has matured sufficiently to overcome the long-standing dominance of classical machine learning in pedometrics. Notably, TabPFN delivers the strongest overall performance, showing robustness across varying conditions. We therefore recommend the adoption of modern ANNs for field-scale DSM and propose TabPFN as the new default choice in the toolkit of every pedometrician.

数字土壤制图神经网络小样本学习土壤预测

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