Domain-informed explainable boosting machines for trustworthy lateral spread predictions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hsiao, Cheng-Hsi, Kumar, Krishna, Rathje, Ellen M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Hsiao, Cheng-Hsi
Kumar, Krishna
Rathje, Ellen M.
author_facet Hsiao, Cheng-Hsi
Kumar, Krishna
Rathje, Ellen M.
contents Explainable Boosting Machines (EBMs) provide transparent predictions through additive shape functions, enabling direct inspection of feature contributions. However, EBMs can learn non-physical relationships that reduce their reliability in natural hazard applications. This study presents a domain-informed framework to improve the physical consistency of EBMs for lateral spreading prediction. Our approach modifies learned shape functions based on domain knowledge. These modifications correct non-physical behavior while maintaining data-driven patterns. We apply the method to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake dataset and correct non-physical trends observed in the original EBM. The resulting model produces more physically consistent global and local explanations, with an acceptable tradeoff in accuracy (4--5\%).
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_17175
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Domain-informed explainable boosting machines for trustworthy lateral spread predictions
Hsiao, Cheng-Hsi
Kumar, Krishna
Rathje, Ellen M.
Machine Learning
Geophysics
Explainable Boosting Machines (EBMs) provide transparent predictions through additive shape functions, enabling direct inspection of feature contributions. However, EBMs can learn non-physical relationships that reduce their reliability in natural hazard applications. This study presents a domain-informed framework to improve the physical consistency of EBMs for lateral spreading prediction. Our approach modifies learned shape functions based on domain knowledge. These modifications correct non-physical behavior while maintaining data-driven patterns. We apply the method to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake dataset and correct non-physical trends observed in the original EBM. The resulting model produces more physically consistent global and local explanations, with an acceptable tradeoff in accuracy (4--5\%).
title Domain-informed explainable boosting machines for trustworthy lateral spread predictions
topic Machine Learning
Geophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.17175