Research on an identification model for mine water inrush sources based on the HBA-CatBoost algorithm

Abstract Accurate and efficient identification of water inrush sources, as one of the three critical elements of mine water hazards, is crucial for mine water management. To identify the sources of mine water inrush effectively, a model named HBA-CatBoost is introduced. This model is established on the hybrid bat algorithm (HBA)-optimized category feature gradient boosting tree (CatBoost), and the shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method is employed to elucidate the model’s decision-making process. Given the prevalent occurrence of water hazards in coal seam roofs and floors in the northern Guizhou coalfield, coupled with the challenges in pinpointing water inrush sources in mines, the HBA-CatBoost model is tested at the Longfeng Coal Mine in northern Guizhou to validate its practicality. Comparative analysis with the HBA-RF, HBA-XGBoost, CatBoost, RF, and XGBoost models demonstrates that the hybrid bat algorithm significantly enhances the classification performance of the CatBoost model, resulting in improved convergence speed and classification accuracy. The HBA-CatBoost model outperforms the aforementioned models in terms of classification effectiveness, achieving accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 scores of 96.43%, 97.22%, 96.43%, and 96.61%, respectively. The SHAP method elucidates the decision mechanism of the optimal HBA-CatBoost model, highlighting the significance of sample features and bolstering the model’s credibility. These outcomes underscore the superior performance of the HBA-CatBoost model and its potential for effectively identifying water inrush sources in mines.