BSDR: A Data-Efficient Deep Learning-Based Hyperspectral Band Selection Algorithm Using Discrete Relaxation

Hyperspectral band selection algorithms are crucial for processing high-dimensional data, which enables dimensionality reduction, improves data analysis, and enhances computational efficiency. Among these, attention-based algorithms have gained prominence by ranking bands based on their discriminative capability. However, they require a large number of model parameters, which increases the need for extensive training data. To address this challenge, we propose Band Selection through Discrete Relaxation (BSDR), a novel deep learning-based algorithm. BSDR reduces the number of learnable parameters by focusing solely on the target bands, which are typically far fewer than the original bands, thus resulting in a data-efficient configuration that minimizes training data requirements and reduces training time. The algorithm employs discrete relaxation, transforming the discrete problem of band selection into a continuous optimization task, which enables gradient-based search across the spectral dimension. Through extensive evaluations on three benchmark datasets with varying spectral dimensions and characteristics, BSDR demonstrates superior performance for both regression and classification tasks, achieving up to 25% and 34.6% improvements in overall accuracy, compared to the latest attention-based and traditional algorithms, respectively, while reducing execution time by 96.8% and 97.18%. These findings highlight BSDR’s effectiveness in addressing key challenges in hyperspectral band selection.