Application of Systematic Data Mining for Prediction of Biological Quality Indices

Abstract

Data mining is not only a simple application of an algorithm on the data set. It is rather a systematic approach that is absolutely necessary, if we want to obtain useful and meaningful patterns from data. This paper shows how the usage of systematic data mining can help to simplify the first determination of the quality of marine habitats in the western Baltic Sea. The Benthic Quality Index (BQI) has been introduced within the European Union Water Framework Directive to assess the quality of marine habitats. The index is based on sensitivity/tolerance classification and quantitative information on the composition of soft-bottom macrofauna. The calculation of the index is based on the exact designation of the found taxa.