# Enhancing Image Classification with Augmentation: Data Augmentation Techniques for Improved Image Classification

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18691 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18691/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 13 of its 24 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 25 Feb 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.0575/) (2014)
- [EfficientNet: Rethinking Model Scaling for Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.11946/) (2019)
- [Improved Regularization of Convolutional Neural Networks with Cutout](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.04552/) (2017)
- [Model soups: averaging weights of multiple fine-tuned models improves accuracy without increasing inference time](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.05482/) (2022)
- [Random Erasing Data Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.04896/) (2017)
- [Big Transfer (BiT): General Visual Representation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.11370/) (2019)
- [AutoAugment: Learning Augmentation Policies from Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.09501/) (2018)
- [The Effectiveness of Data Augmentation in Image Classification using Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.04621/) (2017)
- [GridMask Data Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.04086/) (2020)
- [Occlusions for Effective Data Augmentation in Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.10651/) (2019)
- [A Light-weight Deep Learning Model for Remote Sensing Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.13028/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Automated Palynological Analysis System: Integrating Deep Metric Learning, Detection and Classification in Bright Field Microscopy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.16743/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) serve as the workhorse of deep learning, finding applications in various fields that rely on images. Given sufficient data, they exhibit the capacity to learn a wide range of concepts across diverse settings. However, a notable limitation of CNNs is their susceptibility to overfitting when trained on small datasets. The augmentation of such datasets can significantly enhance CNN performance by introducing additional data points for learning. In this study, we explore the effectiveness of 11 different sets of data augmentation techniques, which include three novel sets proposed in this work. The first set of data augmentation employs pairwise channel transfer, transferring Red, Green, Blue, Hue, and Saturation values from randomly selected images in the database to all images in the dataset. The second set introduces a novel occlusion approach, where objects in the images are occluded by randomly selected objects from the dataset. The third set involves a novel masking approach, using vertical, horizontal, circular, and checkered masks to occlude portions of the images. In addition to these novel techniques, we investigate other existing augmentation methods, including rotation, horizontal and vertical flips, resizing, translation, blur, color jitter, and random erasing, and their effects on accuracy and overfitting. We fine-tune a base EfficientNet-B0 model for each augmentation method and conduct a comparative analysis to showcase their efficacy. For the evaluation and comparison of these augmentation techniques, we utilize the Caltech-101 dataset. The ensemble of image augmentation techniques proposed emerges as the most effective on the Caltech-101 dataset. The results demonstrate that diverse data augmentation techniques present a viable means of enhancing datasets for improved image classification.