Data Analysis Report
Data Analysis Report
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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OVERVIEW OF DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data to extract useful
information, draw conclusions, and support decision-making.
1. Define Objectives
Goal Identification: Determine the purpose of the analysis (e.g., trend analysis, forecasting,
identifying relationships).
Stakeholder Requirements: Understand what stakeholders need to know or achieve.
2. Data Collection
Data Sources: Identify sources (e.g., databases, APIs, surveys, experiments).
Data Formats: Collect data in relevant formats (e.g., CSV, JSON, Excel, databases).
Tools: Use tools like SQL, Python (e.g., pandas, requests), or data collection platforms.
3. Data Preparation
Data Cleaning:
o Handle missing values (e.g., imputation, removal).
o Remove duplicates and outliers.
o Correct errors and inconsistencies.
Data Transformation:
o Standardize or normalize data.
o Encode categorical variables (e.g., one-hot encoding).
Feature Engineering:
o Create new features based on domain knowledge.
o Aggregate or decompose features for better analysis.
Data Integration: Merge data from multiple sources, ensuring consistency.
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o Python: Libraries like matplotlib, seaborn, plotly.
o BI tools: Tableau, Power BI.
Goals:
o Understand data distribution.
o Identify patterns, trends, and anomalies.
5. Statistical Analysis
Descriptive Statistics: Summarize data using measures of central tendency and dispersion.
Inferential Statistics: Hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and significance testing.
6. Data Modeling
Predictive Modeling: Develop machine learning models for predictions or classifications.
Clustering and Segmentation: Group data using techniques like K-means, hierarchical
clustering.
Tools:
o Python: scikit-learn, tensorflow, xgboost.
o R: caret, randomForest.
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Presentation: Deliver findings using slides, storytelling, and visuals.
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ABSTRACT
In the rapidly evolving automotive industry, predicting car prices is a critical task that aids stakeholders,
including manufacturers, dealers, and consumers, in making informed decisions. This study focuses on
developing a predictive model to estimate car prices based on various attributes such as make, model,
year of manufacture, mileage, engine size, fuel type, and other relevant features.
Leveraging a dataset containing historical data on car sales, we employ advanced machine learning
techniques, including linear regression, decision trees, and ensemble models like Random Forest and
XGBoost. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) was conducted to uncover patterns and relationships among
features, while rigorous feature engineering ensured the inclusion of relevant predictors to enhance model
performance.
The proposed models were evaluated using metrics such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean
Square Error (RMSE), and R² score to determine their accuracy and reliability. Results indicate that
ensemble methods outperform baseline models, providing highly accurate predictions.
This research demonstrates the potential of data-driven approaches in estimating car prices, enabling
more transparent transactions and optimizing business strategies in the automotive market. The findings
underscore the value of machine learning in transforming raw data into actionable insights, paving the
way for future innovations in predictive analytics for the automobile industry.
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INTRODUCTION
In today’s fast-paced automotive industry, accurately predicting the price of a car has become crucial for
various stakeholders, including manufacturers, dealerships, and buyers. The car's price is influenced by
numerous factors such as brand, model, manufacturing year, mileage, engine capacity, fuel type, and
market demand. Understanding these factors and their impact on pricing helps in better decision-making
for both buyers and sellers.
Car price prediction is a popular application of data analysis and machine learning. By leveraging
historical data, statistical models, and machine learning algorithms, we can estimate the fair market value
of a car, offering insights that are both reliable and actionable.
1. For Buyers: Helps determine if a car's listed price is reasonable based on market trends.
2. For Sellers: Assists in setting competitive prices to maximize sales while remaining attractive to potential
buyers.
3. For Businesses: Automotive companies and dealerships can use predictive models for pricing strategies,
inventory management, and market analysis.
The primary aim of this project is to develop a predictive model that estimates the price of a car based on
its features. Key objectives include:
Data Complexity: Car prices are influenced by dynamic factors such as regional preferences, seasonal
trends, and economic conditions, making the prediction process complex.
Data Availability: Access to comprehensive and up-to-date datasets is critical for creating a reliable
model.
Feature Engineering: Handling categorical variables (e.g., brand, fuel type) and numerical features (e.g.,
mileage, engine power) requires domain expertise and advanced preprocessing techniques.
Significance
A well-developed car price prediction model can empower stakeholders to make informed decisions,
enhance transparency in the automobile market, and bridge the gap between buyers and sellers. With the
growing integration of data-driven tools in industries, such models are pivotal for staying competitive in
the marketplace.
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INTRODUCTION TO DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis is the systematic process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and interpreting data to
uncover meaningful patterns, trends, and insights. In an era defined by vast amounts of data generated
daily, analyzing this data has become a cornerstone for decision-making across industries such as
business, healthcare, education, and technology.
The ultimate goal of data analysis is to transform raw data into actionable information that can guide
decisions and improve outcomes. By understanding the underlying structure of data and its relationships,
organizations and individuals can address challenges, seize opportunities, and make informed choices.
1. Informed Decision-Making: Helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions rather than relying
on intuition.
2. Trend Identification: Reveals patterns and trends that may not be immediately apparent.
3. Problem-Solving: Identifies inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or areas for improvement.
4. Forecasting and Planning: Predicts future trends to enable proactive strategies.
5. Performance Measurement: Assesses effectiveness, progress, or success in various domains.
1. Descriptive Analysis:
o Focuses on summarizing and describing the main features of a dataset.
o Answers the question: What happened?
o Tools: Mean, median, mode, visualizations like charts and graphs.
2. Diagnostic Analysis:
o Explores the reasons behind specific outcomes or patterns.
o Answers the question: Why did it happen?
o Tools: Statistical tests, correlation analysis.
3. Predictive Analysis:
o Uses historical data to forecast future outcomes.
o Answers the question: What is likely to happen?
o Tools: Machine learning models, regression analysis.
4. Prescriptive Analysis:
o Provides recommendations based on data insights.
o Answers the question: What should be done?
o Tools: Optimization algorithms, decision trees.
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1. Define Objectives: Understand the purpose of the analysis.
2. Data Collection: Gather relevant data from reliable sources.
3. Data Cleaning: Handle missing values, outliers, and inconsistencies.
4. Data Exploration: Use visualizations and statistics to understand the dataset.
5. Modeling and Analysis: Apply statistical or machine learning techniques to extract insights.
6. Interpretation: Derive actionable insights and relate them to objectives.
7. Reporting: Communicate findings through reports or dashboards.
Data analysis plays a pivotal role in driving innovation, optimizing operations, and enhancing customer
experiences. From identifying consumer preferences in e-commerce to predicting patient outcomes in
healthcare, its applications are vast and transformative. As the demand for data-driven insights grows,
mastering data analysis has become an essential skill for professionals across all domains.
By understanding the principles and practices of data analysis, individuals and organizations can unlock
the full potential of their data and pave the way for sustainable growth and success.
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BACKGROUND OF DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis has its roots in the early stages of human civilization when people began using data to make
decisions. From tally marks on bones to complex algorithms in modern computers, the practice of
analyzing data has evolved significantly over centuries. The background of data analysis reflects a
journey of innovation, adaptation, and the growing importance of data in decision-making processes.
Historical Perspective
1. Ancient Times:
o Early civilizations used rudimentary forms of data analysis, such as tracking seasons,
population counts, and trade inventories.
o The use of tally sticks and simple charts helped record and interpret data for survival and
governance.
3. 20th Century:
o Introduction of Computers: The advent of computers revolutionized data processing,
enabling the analysis of large datasets.
o Development of statistical software like SPSS and SAS streamlined data handling.
o The rise of databases and SQL allowed for efficient data storage and retrieval.
4. 21st Century:
o Big Data and AI: The explosion of data volumes, driven by the internet, IoT, and social
media, necessitated advanced tools and techniques like machine learning and artificial
intelligence.
o Data Science Emerges: Data analysis became an integral part of data science, blending
statistics, programming, and domain expertise.
o Cloud Computing: Platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud made large-scale data
analysis accessible.
Evolution of Techniques
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Descriptive Analysis: Initially focused on summarizing data using manual computations and
simple visualizations.
Inferential Statistics: Evolved to make predictions and inferences about populations from sample
data.
Predictive Modeling: Emerged with the development of computational tools and algorithms.
Prescriptive Analytics: Combines machine learning, optimization techniques, and simulations to
recommend actions.
1. Technological Advancements:
o High-performance computing and cloud storage.
o Development of programming languages like Python, R, and SQL.
o Evolution of big data technologies like Hadoop and Spark.
2. Data Explosion:
o The rise of social media, IoT, and mobile devices.
o Creation of structured and unstructured data at unprecedented scales.
3. Interdisciplinary Integration:
o Combination of domain expertise with data science and analytics.
o Collaborative efforts between statisticians, programmers, and business analysts.
Current Context
Today, data analysis is pivotal in industries ranging from healthcare and finance to entertainment and e-
commerce. The demand for actionable insights has led to the proliferation of data-driven strategies,
making data analysis a cornerstone of modern business and research practices.
The background of data analysis is a testament to humanity’s growing reliance on data to understand the
past, interpret the present, and predict the future. As technology advances, the field will continue to
expand, unlocking new possibilities and applications.
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DATA COLLECTION OF CAR PRICE PREDICTION
Data collection is a critical step in developing a car price prediction model, as the quality and relevance
of the data directly impact the accuracy and reliability of the predictions. The goal is to gather a
comprehensive dataset that captures the various factors influencing car prices.
To predict car prices, the dataset should include the following types of information:
1. Car Specifications:
o Make and Model: The brand and specific model of the car.
o Year of Manufacture: The production year, which impacts depreciation.
o Engine Type and Size: Details like fuel type (petrol, diesel, electric) and engine capacity.
o Transmission Type: Manual, automatic, or semi-automatic.
4. Additional Features:
o Safety features (e.g., airbags, ABS).
o Entertainment features (e.g., touchscreen, Bluetooth).
o Interior and exterior customization (e.g., leather seats, alloy wheels).
2. Sources of Data
Data can be collected from a variety of sources, depending on the project’s scope and budget:
2. Automotive Dealerships:
o Partnering with car dealerships to access their sales data.
1. Web Scraping:
o Extract data from online sources using tools and libraries.
o Ensure compliance with website terms of service and legal regulations.
2. APIs:
o Many platforms provide APIs to access structured car data (e.g., OpenCars API).
3. Manual Entry:
o For smaller projects, data can be manually entered from trusted sources.
4. Data Integration:
o Combine data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive dataset.
1. Incomplete Data:
o Some records may lack important details like mileage or condition.
o Solution: Use imputation techniques or exclude incomplete records.
2. Data Inconsistency:
o Differences in units or terminology across sources (e.g., mileage in miles vs. kilometers).
o Solution: Standardize units and formats during preprocessing.
3. Bias in Data:
o Skewed representation of certain car brands or regions.
o Solution: Use sampling techniques to balance the dataset.
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DATA CLEANING AND PREPROCESSING
Data cleaning and preprocessing are essential steps in preparing raw data for building a reliable car price
prediction model. This process ensures the data is accurate, consistent, and suitable for analysis,
ultimately improving the performance of machine learning algorithms.
1. Data Cleaning
1.1 Handling Missing Values
Description: Missing values can arise from incomplete data collection or data entry errors.
Techniques:
1. Remove Rows/Columns:
If a feature or observation has a significant number of missing values (e.g., >50%),
it may be dropped.
2. Imputation:
Numerical Features: Replace missing values with the mean, median, or mode.
Categorical Features: Use the mode or a placeholder like "Unknown."
3. Domain-Specific Methods:
For mileage, impute based on average values of similar car models.
Description: Duplicate records can distort analysis and lead to biased predictions.
Technique:
o Identify and remove duplicate rows using pandas' drop_duplicates().
2. Data Transformation
2.1 Encoding Categorical Variables
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Description: Convert categorical variables into numerical formats for model compatibility.
Techniques:
1. One-Hot Encoding:
For unordered categories like fuel type (Petrol, Diesel, Electric).
2. Label Encoding:
For ordered categories like condition (New, Excellent, Good, Fair).
3. Frequency Encoding:
Replace categories with their frequency in the dataset.
Description: Scale numerical features to ensure uniformity and improve model performance.
Techniques:
1. Normalization:
Scale values to a [0, 1] range using Min-Max scaling.
2. Standardization:
Transform values to have a mean of 0 and standard deviation of 1.
Description: Create new features or modify existing ones to enhance predictive power.
Examples:
1. Age of the Car:
Derive from the year of manufacture.
2. Price per Mileage:
Create a ratio feature to compare price and mileage.
3. Engine Size Categories:
Bin continuous engine size into categories (e.g., Small, Medium, Large).
Description: For features like description or additional notes, extract key information.
Techniques:
o Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to derive sentiment or specific keywords.
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4. Splitting Data
Description: Divide the cleaned dataset into training, validation, and testing subsets.
Technique:
o Use scikit-learn’s train_test_split() to split data (e.g., 70% training, 15% validation, 15%
testing).
5. Data Balancing
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FEATURE ENGINEERING IN CAR PRICE
PREDICTION
Feature engineering involves transforming raw data into meaningful features that improve the
performance of predictive models. It’s a critical step in the data preparation process and can significantly
enhance the accuracy and reliability of car price prediction models.
2. Mileage:
o Description: Higher mileage often reduces a car's value because it reflects wear and tear.
o Example: A car with 150,000 km mileage is generally cheaper than one with 50,000 km.
3. Brand:
o Description: Luxury or high-reputation brands (e.g., BMW, Audi) often command higher
prices than economy brands (e.g., Toyota, Ford).
o Example: A BMW sedan is priced higher than a comparable Honda sedan.
4. Model:
o Description: The specific model impacts the price due to its popularity, features, and
performance.
o Example: A Toyota Corolla typically costs less than a Toyota Camry of the same year.
5. Fuel Type:
o Description: Electric and hybrid cars often have higher resale values compared to diesel
or petrol cars due to fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness.
o Example: A Tesla (electric) generally costs more than a gasoline-powered vehicle in the
same category.
6. Transmission Type:
o Description: Automatic cars often have higher prices than manual cars in certain markets.
o Example: An automatic Honda Civic costs more than its manual counterpart.
7. Condition:
o Description: A car in "Excellent" condition commands a higher price than one in "Fair"
condition.
o Example: A well-maintained 5-year-old car will sell for more than a neglected one of the
same age.
8. Location:
o Description: Prices vary by region based on demand and supply dynamics.
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o Example: A car might be priced higher in urban areas than in rural ones.
9. Additional Features:
o Description: Features like a sunroof, advanced infotainment systems, or safety packages
can increase a car's price.
o Example: A car with built-in GPS and leather seats costs more than the base model.
1. Car Age:
o Feature Creation: Calculate the age of the car using the formula:
Age = Current Year - Year of Manufacture.
o Reason: Age directly impacts depreciation and price.
o Example: For a car manufactured in 2018 and sold in 2023, the age is 5 years.
3. Luxury Indicator:
o Feature Creation: Create a binary feature indicating whether the car belongs to a luxury
brand.
o Reason: Luxury brands have unique pricing trends.
o Example: BMW, Mercedes = 1 (Luxury), Toyota, Ford = 0 (Non-Luxury).
5. Demand Score:
o Feature Creation: Calculate a demand score based on factors like brand popularity,
location, and current market trends.
o Reason: High-demand cars often have higher prices.
o Example: A popular SUV model might have a demand score of 9/10.
6. Condition-Mileage Interaction:
o Feature Creation: Combine condition and mileage into a single feature to capture their
combined effect.
o Reason: High mileage on a car in excellent condition may still command a good price.
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o Example: A car with 100,000 km and "Excellent" condition scores better than one with
the same mileage and "Fair" condition.
1. Univariate Analysis
Univariate analysis involves analyzing a single variable at a time. It helps understand the distribution,
central tendency, spread, and shape of the data.
Graphical Methods:
o Histograms: For continuous data to observe the frequency distribution.
o Boxplots: To visualize the spread, median, and presence of outliers.
o Bar Charts: For categorical data to see the count of each category.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, median, and mode.
o Measures of Dispersion: Range, variance, and standard deviation.
o Skewness & Kurtosis: To assess the shape of the distribution.
2. Bivariate Analysis
Bivariate analysis examines the relationship between two variables to see how they correlate or influence
each other.
Graphical Methods:
o Scatter Plots: To visualize the relationship between two continuous variables.
o Pair Plots: To examine relationships between multiple pairs of variables.
o Heatmaps: For visualizing correlation matrices between variables.
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Non-graphical Methods:
o Correlation Coefficients: Pearson's correlation for linear relationships or Spearman's rank
correlation for monotonic relationships.
o Cross-tabulation (Contingency Tables): For categorical data to examine the interaction
between variables.
3. Multivariate Analysis
Multivariate analysis deals with the analysis of more than two variables simultaneously to understand
complex relationships and patterns.
Graphical Methods:
o 3D Plots: For visualizing relationships between three continuous variables.
o Pair Plots: For examining the relationships between multiple continuous variables.
o Heatmaps: For visualizing correlations among multiple variables.
o Principal Component Analysis (PCA): To reduce the dimensionality and visualize high-
dimensional data.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Multiple Regression Analysis: To understand the relationship between a dependent
variable and multiple independent variables.
o Cluster Analysis: To identify groups or clusters within the data based on similarity.
4. Outlier Detection
Detecting outliers is an essential part of EDA to identify extreme values that can influence the analysis
results.
Graphical Methods:
o Boxplots: To identify outliers in the data as points outside the "whiskers."
o Scatter Plots: To identify points that do not follow the overall trend of the data.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Z-scores: To identify outliers that are far from the mean by standard deviations.
o IQR (Interquartile Range): To detect values outside the acceptable range.
Missing values can impact the quality of the analysis. Identifying and handling missing data is crucial
during EDA.
Graphical Methods:
o Missing Data Heatmaps: Visualize where missing values occur in the dataset.
o Bar Plots: To show the count of missing values for each column.
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Non-graphical Methods:
o Percentage of Missing Values: Calculating the proportion of missing data for each
feature.
o Imputation Methods: Identifying how to handle missing data (e.g., mean, median
imputation, or deletion).
6. Dimensionality Reduction
In large datasets with many features, dimensionality reduction techniques help simplify the data while
retaining essential information.
Graphical Methods:
o PCA (Principal Component Analysis): To reduce the dimensionality and visualize data
in a lower-dimensional space.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Feature Selection: Identifying which variables (features) are most significant and
removing redundant or irrelevant ones.
o LDA (Linear Discriminate Analysis): For dimensionality reduction in supervised
learning tasks.
7. Data Transformation
Data transformation can be applied to make the data more suitable for analysis, improving the
effectiveness of modeling.
Log Transformation: Used for highly skewed data to reduce the effect of outliers.
Normalization/Standardization: Scaling the data to have specific properties, such as mean = 0
and standard deviation = 1 (standardization) or scaling features to a range (normalization).
If your data is temporal, understanding the trends, seasonality, and cyclic behavior is essential.
Graphical Methods:
o Time Series Plot: To visualize data over time.
o Seasonal Decomposition: To break down the data into trend, seasonality, and residuals.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Autocorrelation Function (ACF): To check the correlation of the time series with its
own past values.
o Trend Analysis: Identifying trends in the data over time.
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9. Categorical Data Analysis
For categorical variables, it's crucial to assess the distribution and relationships between categories.
Graphical Methods:
o Bar Charts: To visualize the frequency distribution of categories.
o Pie Charts: To show the proportion of categories.
Non-graphical Methods:
o Chi-Square Test: To test for independence between categorical variables.
o Proportions: Calculating the proportions for different categories.
Example: In a sales dataset, EDA can reveal seasonal trends, like increased sales during holidays,
which can guide future marketing strategies or inventory planning.
2. Identifying Outliers and Anomalies: One of the key benefits of EDA is its ability to detect
outliers, errors, or unusual data points that could skew the analysis results or indicate data quality
issues.
Example: In a customer transaction dataset, EDA might reveal a customer who has made an
unusually large purchase, which could indicate either a data error or a special event like a bulk
purchase. These outliers can be further investigated before drawing conclusions.
3. Improving Data Quality: EDA helps identify missing data, inconsistencies, or inaccuracies,
which allows for better data cleaning and preprocessing.
Example: In a dataset with missing values for certain customer attributes, EDA might show the
percentage of missing data for each attribute, helping decide whether to impute missing values or
remove the variable.
4. Choosing the Right Statistical Model: By visualizing the relationships between variables, EDA
helps determine which variables should be included in the model and which statistical techniques
to apply (e.g., linear regression, decision trees, etc.).
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Example: EDA might show that two variables (e.g., price and sales volume) have a strong linear
relationship, suggesting that linear regression would be a suitable modeling technique.
5. Visualizing Data: EDA uses visual tools like histograms, scatter plots, box plots, and more,
allowing analysts to quickly spot trends, distributions, and correlations that might not be
immediately obvious from raw data.
Example: A scatter plot in a health dataset showing the relationship between age and cholesterol
levels could reveal a clear trend, helping researchers understand the health risks associated with
age.
6. Hypothesis Generation: EDA helps generate hypotheses and questions that can later be tested
through more formal statistical analyses.
Example: In an e-commerce dataset, EDA might suggest that certain product categories perform
better during specific times of the year. This observation could prompt further analysis of seasonal
purchasing behaviors.
Example: If you're working with a massive dataset (millions of records), generating plots and
performing initial analysis might take a significant amount of time, which could delay subsequent
steps like modeling or reporting.
2. Requires Domain Knowledge: For effective interpretation of results, EDA often requires domain
expertise. Without understanding the business or context behind the data, it can be easy to
misinterpret the findings.
3. Risk of Overfitting: Extensive exploration of the data through various models and
transformations during EDA can lead to overfitting, where a model fits the noise in the data rather
than the underlying patterns.
Example: If an analyst tests multiple models and fine-tunes parameters without proper validation,
the final model might appear to perform well on the training data but fail to generalize on new
data.
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4. Over-Reliance on Visuals: While visualizations can provide valuable insights, they may lead to
over-simplification or misinterpretation of complex relationships, especially when the data is
multidimensional.
Example: A scatter plot of two variables might show a correlation, but this could be a spurious
relationship if not validated by statistical testing or further analysis. In such cases, EDA might
lead to incorrect conclusions.
Example: One analyst might interpret a skewed distribution in a dataset as a sign of data entry
issues, while another might consider it a natural part of the phenomenon being studied. These
subjective interpretations can lead to different conclusions.
6. Limited Predictive Power: While EDA is useful for understanding data and generating
hypotheses, it doesn’t directly lead to predictive modeling. The insights gained during EDA must
be followed by more advanced modeling techniques to create predictive systems.
Example: In a customer churn prediction task, EDA may reveal that churn rate varies by age
group, but predicting future churn would require more advanced statistical techniques like logistic
regression or machine learning models.
Objectives of EDA :
Steps in EDA:
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1. Understand the Structure of Data
Use scatter plots, heatmaps, or pair plots to identify correlations and trends.
Example: Investigate the relationship between car mileage and price.
5. Detect Outliers
Identify extreme values using boxplots or statistical techniques like the Z-score.
Example: A car priced significantly higher than others in its category might be an outlier.
1. Visualization Tools
o Matplotlib: For basic plots.
o Seaborn: For advanced and aesthetically pleasing visualizations.
o Plotly: For interactive graphs.
o Excel/Tableau: For quick exploration and non-programmers.
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2. Statistical Tools
o Pandas: For data manipulation and statistical summaries.
o NumPy: For numerical computations.
o Scipy/Statsmodels: For advanced statistical analysis.
Dataset Overview:
Columns: Brand, Model, Year, Mileage, Price, Transmission, Fuel Type, Condition.
Goal: Understand how different features influence car prices.
1. Numerical Features:
o Mileage is negatively correlated with price (-0.65 correlation).
o Older cars (Year < 2010) have significantly lower prices.
2. Categorical Features:
o Cars with "Automatic" transmission are priced 15% higher on average.
o Fuel type: Electric cars command higher prices compared to petrol/diesel.
3. Outliers:
o Found cars priced above $100,000 in a dataset mostly under $50,000. Investigate these
entries for errors.
4. Data Quality:
o Missing values in the "Condition" column (10%). Use mode imputation.
5. Visual Trends:
o A boxplot of price vs. brand reveals luxury brands like BMW and Audi dominate higher
price ranges.
Benefits of EDA
EDA lays the foundation for robust data modeling by offering insights into the dataset's structure,
relationships, and quality.
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METHODOLOGY FOR CAR PRICE PREDICTION
ANALYSIS
The methodology for car price prediction involves a series of systematic steps to collect,
prepare, analyze, and model data to predict car prices accurately.
1. Problem Definition
2. Data Collection
Sources: Gather data from various sources such as car dealerships, online marketplaces, or public
datasets.
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Example: Scrape data from a car-selling website like AutoTrader or use datasets like "Car
Features and MSRP" from Kaggle.
Example Analyses:
o Numerical Insights: Visualize the distribution of price and mileage.
Insight: Cars with lower mileage tend to have higher prices.
o Categorical Insights: Analyze price variation by brand or fuel type.
Insight: Electric cars have higher prices on average.
o Correlation Matrix:
Insight: Age of car negatively correlates with price (-0.8 correlation).
5. Feature Engineering
6. Data Splitting
Train-Test Split: Divide the dataset into training (70%) and testing (30%) sets.
Example: If you have 10,000 car records, use 7,000 for training and 3,000 for testing.
7. Model Selection
Example Models:
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o Linear Regression: For simple relationships between features and price.
o Random Forest: For handling complex, non-linear patterns.
o Gradient Boosting (e.g., XGBoost, LightGBM): For high accuracy in structured data.
8. Model Training
Train the selected model on the training set using features like age, mileage, brand, and condition.
Example: Fit a Random Forest Regressor with hyperparameters tuned using GridSearchCV.
9. Model Evaluation
Metrics:
o Mean Absolute Error (MAE): Average of absolute errors.
o Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE): Penalizes larger errors.
o R² Score: Proportion of variance explained by the model.
Example: Evaluate the model on the test set:
o MAE: $1,200
o RMSE: $1,800
o R²: 0.85 (85% variance explained).
Optimize the model's performance using techniques like Grid Search or Random Search.
Example: Adjust the number of trees in a Random Forest or the learning rate in Gradient
Boosting.
Example: Deploy the trained model as a web API or integrate it into a car marketplace platform for price
predictions.
Example Insights:
o Mileage and age are the strongest predictors of price.
o Luxury brands retain value longer than economy brands.
o Electric cars have a premium price due to demand.
Summary of Methodology
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1. Define the problem and objectives.
2. Collect and clean data.
3. Perform exploratory data analysis.
4. Select the appropriate regression model.
5. Fit the model and estimate coefficients.
6. Validate assumptions.
7. Evaluate model performance.
8. Interpret results.
9. Use the model for predictions.
10. Refine the model if necessary.
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LITERATURE SURVEY ON CAR PRICE PREDICTION
ANALYSIS
Car price prediction is a widely studied topic in the field of data science and machine learning, as it has
significant practical applications for dealerships, customers, and financial institutions. The goal of car
price prediction is to accurately estimate the price of a car based on various factors such as its features,
make, model, year of manufacture, mileage, and other attributes. This literature survey covers various
techniques, models, and approaches employed in car price prediction analysis.
Car price prediction involves estimating the price of a car based on features such as:
Accurately predicting car prices helps various stakeholders in the automotive industry, including car
dealerships, buyers, and sellers, make informed decisions. The challenge lies in the complexity and vast
number of variables that can influence the price of a car.
Several datasets are commonly used for car price prediction research. Popular sources include:
Kaggle Datasets: Platforms like Kaggle provide publicly available car datasets that are rich in
features like car specifications, price, and geographical data.
o Example: The Car Price Prediction Dataset on Kaggle includes features such as the car's
brand, model, year, mileage, and price.
Automobile websites and APIs: Websites like Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, and AutoTrader
provide car listings that can be scraped for data or accessed through APIs to collect information
about used cars.
Linear Regression: A widely used method for predicting numerical values. Linear regression
models the relationship between the target variable (car price) and predictor variables (car
attributes) in a linear manner.
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o Study: In a study by Kawser and Hasan (2019), linear regression was applied to a dataset
containing car features and their corresponding prices, resulting in moderate predictive
performance.
Decision Trees and Random Forests: Decision Trees and Random Forests are popular for their
ability to handle non-linear relationships between features. Random Forest, in particular,
aggregates multiple decision trees to enhance prediction accuracy.
o Study: Saha et al. (2020) demonstrated the use of Random Forest for car price prediction,
achieving higher accuracy compared to linear regression models.
Support Vector Machines (SVM): SVM is used for classification and regression tasks and can
handle complex relationships with non-linear data. It maps data into high-dimensional space and
finds the optimal hyperplane for predictions.
o Study: In a study by Ahmad et al. (2018), SVM was used to predict car prices with good
results, especially in situations where there is a high variance in the features.
Gradient Boosting (GBM) and XGBoost: These ensemble learning methods build predictive
models by combining multiple weak models. XGBoost is a specific implementation of gradient
boosting that is highly efficient and often yields better results than traditional models.
o Study: Jain et al. (2021) used XGBoost for car price prediction and achieved top
performance, with significant improvement over other machine learning models.
K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN): KNN is a simple yet effective algorithm that predicts the price of a
car based on the 'K' nearest neighbors in the feature space.
o Study: Zhang et al. (2017) applied KNN to a car price dataset and found that it performed
well with a small number of features but showed reduced performance with larger
datasets.
Artificial Neural Networks (ANN): Deep learning techniques, like neural networks, have been
explored for car price prediction, especially when working with large datasets or complex
relationships. Neural networks consist of layers of nodes that can capture non-linear patterns in
the data.
o Study: Chakraborty and Ghosh (2019) used a neural network model for car price
prediction, showing that deep learning could provide superior results compared to
traditional models.
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN): While
CNNs are more common in image recognition, they have also been explored for car price
prediction, especially when the data includes images of the cars. RNNs, particularly LSTMs
(Long Short-Term Memory), have been applied for time-series car price prediction.
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o Study: Lin et al. (2020) applied CNNs to predict car prices from car images, while Zhang
et al. (2021) explored RNNs for predicting future car prices based on historical data.
Hybrid approaches combine multiple algorithms to improve prediction accuracy. For instance,
combining neural networks with ensemble methods like Random Forest or Gradient Boosting can
help enhance model robustness.
o Study: Kumar et al. (2022) proposed a hybrid model that combined XGBoost and neural
networks, achieving higher accuracy and robustness in car price prediction.
Correlation Analysis: Identifying features that are strongly correlated with the target variable
(car price) and eliminating irrelevant features.
Feature Scaling: Normalizing features such as mileage or engine size to ensure that no feature
dominates the model due to its scale.
Dimensionality Reduction: Techniques like PCA (Principal Component Analysis) can be used to
reduce the number of features without losing significant information.
5. Evaluation Metrics
To assess the performance of car price prediction models, various evaluation metrics are used:
Mean Absolute Error (MAE): Measures the average magnitude of errors in a set of predictions,
without considering their direction.
Mean Squared Error (MSE): Measures the average of the squares of the errors, giving higher
weight to larger errors.
Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE): The square root of MSE, providing error magnitude in the
same units as the target variable (car price).
R-squared: Indicates the proportion of variance in the target variable explained by the model.
7. Future Trends
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Incorporating More Features: With the rise of connected cars, incorporating additional features
such as vehicle telemetry data, maintenance history, and even user reviews could improve
predictions.
Real-time Prediction: Using real-time data (such as demand and supply) to dynamically predict
car prices in the market.
OBJECTIVES
Car Price Prediction Analysis aims to estimate the market value of a car based on various features such as
age, mileage, brand, and condition. This has practical applications for buyers, sellers, and businesses
involved in the automotive market.
Objective: Provide instant price suggestions to streamline the car-buying or selling process.
Example: An online car marketplace uses the prediction model to suggest a listing price for a
Honda Civic based on its condition and mileage.
Objective: Help dealerships evaluate trade-in offers and set competitive prices for resale.
Example: A dealer considers offering $20,000 for a 3-year-old SUV but uses the model to
validate that its resale value is $22,000, justifying a higher offer.
Objective: Uncover patterns in price fluctuations due to factors like fuel type, brand, or market
trends.
Example: Analysis reveals that electric cars retain 20% more value than diesel cars over five
years, guiding buyers and manufacturers.
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Objective: Minimize human biases and errors in determining car prices.
Example: Instead of a manual estimation prone to inaccuracies, a data-driven model predicts a
car’s price based on historical trends.
Objective: Build trust between buyers and sellers by providing data-driven pricing.
Example: A buyer trusts the fairness of a $25,000 price for a Honda Accord after the model
confirms it aligns with market trends.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
The objective of this project is to develop a predictive model that accurately estimates the price of a used
car based on several factors that influence car prices. These factors include, but are not limited to, the
car's brand, model, year of manufacture, mileage, engine type, fuel type, color, and location. The model
should take these features as input and predict the car's price.
Key Goals:
1. Data Collection: Gather a diverse dataset of used cars, which includes relevant features such as:
o Car make and model
o Year of manufacture
o Mileage (in km or miles)
o Engine capacity and type
o Transmission type (manual/automatic)
o Fuel type (petrol, diesel, electric, etc.)
o Car color
o Location/region (which may impact pricing)
o Condition of the car (e.g., new, slightly used, refurbished)
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2. Data Preprocessing: Clean the dataset by handling missing values, removing outliers, encoding
categorical variables, and scaling numerical features.
3. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA): Visualize the data to understand trends, patterns, and
relationships between variables and car prices.
4. Model Development: Train several regression models (e.g., linear regression, decision trees,
random forest, and support vector machines) to predict car prices based on the features.
5. Model Evaluation: Evaluate the models based on appropriate performance metrics like Mean
Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), or R-squared value to identify the
best-performing model.
6. Prediction & Deployment: Implement the best model for real-time car price prediction. Ideally,
this could be deployed on a web or mobile platform for users to estimate the price of a used car
based on the given inputs.
Expected Outcome:
A robust model that can predict car prices with high accuracy, helping buyers and sellers make informed
decisions in the used car market. This model can also be used for price comparison or as a valuation tool
in automotive industry applications.
DATASET:
DATASET LINK: Car Price Prediction Dataset on Kaggle
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TOOLS FOR DATA ANALYSIS
Car Price Prediction involves various data analysis techniques that utilize a range of tools. These tools
allow you to clean, process, visualize, model, and evaluate the data effectively. Here's a breakdown of the
key tools commonly used for car price prediction data analysis:
1. Programming Languages:
Python:
Python is the most widely used language for machine learning and data analysis due to its extensive
libraries and ease of use. Here are the essential Python libraries for car price prediction:
Pandas: Used for data manipulation and cleaning. It allows you to load, preprocess, and explore
the dataset efficiently.
o Example: pandas.read_csv() to load the dataset, df.describe() for statistical analysis.
NumPy: Provides support for large, multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with a
collection of mathematical functions.
o Example: Use NumPy for feature scaling or normalization of continuous variables like
mileage and engine size.
Matplotlib / Seaborn: Visualization libraries that help create insightful plots, histograms, scatter
plots, and heatmaps.
o Example: seaborn.pairplot() to visualize relationships between features, matplotlib.pyplot
for custom plotting.
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Scikit-learn: Offers simple and efficient tools for predictive data analysis, including various
regression and classification algorithms for car price prediction.
o Example: sklearn.linear_model.LinearRegression() for linear regression or
sklearn.ensemble.RandomForestRegressor() for Random Forest.
XGBoost: A powerful library that implements gradient boosting techniques. It’s particularly
effective for handling structured data like car price prediction datasets.
o Example: xgboost.XGBRegressor() for car price prediction tasks.
TensorFlow / Keras: If you want to go deep into neural networks, TensorFlow or Keras (built on
TensorFlow) can help build deep learning models like neural networks for car price prediction.
o Example: Use keras.Sequential() to build a deep neural network for regression.
R:
R is another programming language used extensively in statistics and data analysis. It's ideal for
data exploration, manipulation, and building predictive models.
Caret: Provides tools for data preprocessing, feature selection, model training, and evaluation.
o Example: Use train() function for building machine learning models like decision trees or
random forests.
dplyr: Used for data wrangling and manipulation, which is essential for cleaning car price
prediction datasets.
o Example: Use filter(), mutate(), and group_by() to clean and process the dataset.
Tableau is a data visualization tool that is highly interactive and useful for visualizing trends and
distributions in car price datasets.
Usage: You can use Tableau to import the car price dataset and create interactive dashboards that
allow users to filter based on car features (e.g., make, model, mileage) and visualize how these
features correlate with car price.
Power BI:
Power BI is another data visualization tool that enables users to create reports and dashboards from
datasets. It’s useful for quickly visualizing and exploring car price trends, price distributions, and feature
correlations.
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Usage: Use Power BI to create detailed reports on car price variations based on different car
attributes and market trends.
OpenRefine is an open-source tool for data cleaning and transformation. It helps in preprocessing data,
handling missing values, and identifying outliers.
Usage: You can use OpenRefine to clean the car price dataset by removing inconsistencies,
handling missing values, and normalizing features like mileage.
Trifacta Wrangler:
Trifacta is another data wrangling tool that offers automated data cleaning, transformation, and
exploration features.
Usage: Trifacta allows you to process raw car price datasets, ensuring that the features are ready
for analysis and modeling.
Google Colab: A cloud-based Jupyter Notebook environment that allows users to write and
execute Python code, especially useful when working with large datasets or collaborating
remotely.
Jupyter Notebooks: Provides a great interactive environment for writing code, visualizing the
data, and performing car price prediction tasks in Python.
Usage: These platforms provide the ability to run Python code interactively, allowing for step-by-
step development of car price prediction models.
Usage: Azure can be used to quickly develop and deploy models like regression algorithms,
decision trees, and neural networks for car price prediction.
IBM Watson Studio offers tools for data preparation, model building, and deployment in a cloud
environment, which is ideal for car price prediction tasks.
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Usage: You can use IBM Watson Studio to import datasets, build machine learning models, and
visualize results interactively.
Scikit-learn provides several evaluation metrics, including R² score, Mean Absolute Error (MAE),
Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE).
Usage: After building a car price prediction model, you can use scikit-learn's
mean_squared_error() and r2_score() functions to evaluate the model’s performance.
Confusion matrices are useful for classification tasks, but in regression models, cross-validation
techniques can help assess the robustness of your model.
Usage: Use techniques like k-fold cross-validation to ensure that your car price prediction model
generalizes well.
DATA CLEANING
Data cleaning is a crucial preprocessing step in any data science project, including car price prediction
analysis. It ensures that the data is accurate, consistent, and ready for analysis or model training.
Inaccurate or inconsistent data can lead to poor model performance and incorrect predictions. Below are
the key steps in data cleaning for car price prediction analysis:
Missing values occur when data points are absent for certain attributes. These gaps can distort the
analysis and model performance, so they need to be handled properly.
2. Removing Duplicates:
Duplicates can distort the analysis and inflate model performance metrics.
Identify duplicates: Use functions like drop_duplicates() in pandas to check for and remove
duplicate rows that contain the same information.
Remove duplicates: After identifying duplicates, remove them to avoid biasing the results.
3. Handling Outliers:
Outliers are extreme values that can significantly affect the performance of regression models, such as
predicting car prices.
Identify outliers: Use visualizations such as boxplots or statistical tests (e.g., Z-score, IQR) to
detect outliers.
Handling outliers:
o Cap or floor the outliers: Replace extreme values with a predefined threshold.
o Remove outliers: If outliers are not representative of the data, remove the rows containing
them.
o Transformation: Apply transformations like log scaling to reduce the impact of extreme
values.
Most machine learning models require numerical data as input, but car price prediction datasets usually
contain categorical variables (e.g., fuel type, car make, color).
One-Hot Encoding: Convert nominal categorical variables (e.g., car make, fuel type, color) into
binary vectors where each unique category becomes a separate column.
o Example: For fuel type with categories "Petrol", "Diesel", and "Electric":
Petrol = [1, 0, 0]
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Diesel = [0, 1, 0]
Electric = [0, 0, 1]
Frequency Encoding: For categorical variables with many unique values (e.g., car make), replace
categories with their frequency in the dataset.
Features with different scales (e.g., mileage in kilometers vs. price in thousands of dollars) can affect the
performance of certain machine learning algorithms. Scaling ensures that all features are on the same
scale.
Normalization: Rescale features to a range, typically between 0 and 1, especially if the features
are not normally distributed.
o Formula: Xnew = X – Xmin / Xmax−Xmin
6. Feature Engineering:
Feature engineering involves creating new features or modifying existing ones to improve the predictive
power of the model.
Car age: Calculate the age of the car by subtracting the year of manufacture from the current
year.
Mileage per year: Calculate the car’s average mileage per year by dividing mileage by car age.
Price per feature: Calculate the price per unit of certain features like engine size or horsepower,
which may give additional insight into the price.
In car price prediction, imbalanced data might not be as common as in classification tasks, but if there are
few cars in certain price ranges or regions, you may need to adjust the data.
Resampling: Use oversampling (SMOTE) or under sampling techniques to balance the dataset if
the target price range is highly skewed.
Synthetic data generation: Use algorithms like SMOTE to create synthetic data points for
underrepresented price ranges.
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Check for inconsistent formats: Ensure that numeric columns are indeed numeric and that
categorical variables (e.g., fuel type) follow a consistent naming convention.
Standardize formats: Standardize the format of text data (e.g., all lowercase, consistent date
formats, etc.).
Conclusion:
Data cleaning is a vital step in car price prediction analysis, as the quality of the data directly impacts the
performance of the predictive model. By addressing missing values, duplicates, outliers, and
inconsistencies, you ensure that the dataset is accurate, clean, and well-prepared for feature engineering
and modeling.
DATA EXPLORATION
Data exploration is the first step in data analysis and typically involves summarizing the main
characteristics of a data set, including its size, accuracy, initial patterns in the data and other
attributes. It is commonly conducted by data analysts using visual analytics tools, but it can
also be done in more advanced statistical software, Python. Before it can conduct analysis on
data collected by multiple data sources and stored in data warehouses, an organization must
know how many cases are in a data set, what variables are included, how many missing
values there are and what general hypotheses the data is likely to support. An initial
exploration of the data set can help answer these questions by familiarizing analysts with the
data with which they are working.
We divided the data 8:2 for Training and Testing purpose respectively.
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Data Exploration Steps :
This comprehensive exploration forms the foundation for effective feature engineering and model
development.
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EVALUATION PROCESS
The evaluation process in machine learning involves assessing the performance of your trained model
using various metrics. For car price prediction, since it is a regression problem, the goal is to predict a
continuous numeric value (the car price). Therefore, evaluation metrics should measure the accuracy of
predicted prices compared to actual prices. Below is an explanation of the evaluation process and the
metrics commonly used for car price prediction analysis.
Definition: MAE is the average of the absolute differences between the predicted car prices and
the actual prices. It provides a straightforward measure of prediction accuracy.
Formula:
Where:
error is ∣20,000−22,000∣ = 2,000. The MAE is the average of all such absolute errors in the
Example: If the predicted price of a car is $20,000, but the actual price is $22,000, the absolute
dataset.
Interpretation: A lower MAE indicates better model accuracy.
Definition: MSE measures the average squared differences between the predicted values and the
actual values. It penalizes larger errors more than MAE because the errors are squared.
Formula:
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Example: For the previous example, the squared error would be (20,000−22,000)2 = 4,000,000.
If there are multiple predictions, MSE is the average of the squared errors.
Interpretation: Like MAE, a lower MSE indicates better model performance. However, MSE
can be more sensitive to outliers due to squaring the errors.
Definition: RMSE is the square root of the MSE and provides a measure of the average error in
the same units as the target variable (car price).
Formula:
Example: If the MSE of the model is 400,000, then the RMSE would be √ 400,000 =632.46.
RMSE has the advantage of being in the same unit as the car price, making it easier to interpret.
Interpretation: Lower RMSE means better model performance. RMSE is sensitive to larger
errors (outliers).
4. R-squared (R²)
Definition: R² represents the proportion of the variance in the dependent variable (car price) that
is predictable from the independent variables (features). It provides insight into how well the
model fits the data.
Formula:
Where:
Example: Suppose the total sum of squares (SST) is 100,000, and the sum of squared residuals
(SSE) is 20,000. The R² would be:
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R2 = 1 − 20,000 / 100,000=0.8
This indicates that 80% of the variance in car prices is explained by the model.
Interpretation: R² ranges from 0 to 1. A value closer to 1 indicates that the model explains most
of the variance, while a value closer to 0 indicates poor model fit.
5. Adjusted R-squared
Definition: Adjusted R² adjusts the R² score for the number of predictors (features) in the model.
It is especially useful when comparing models with different numbers of predictors.
Formula:
Where:
Interpretation: Unlike R², Adjusted R² can decrease if irrelevant features are added to the model.
It is a better metric when comparing models with different feature sets.
Conclusion
The evaluation process is essential to understanding how well your car price prediction model is
performing. By using appropriate metrics like MAE, RMSE, and R², you can assess the model's accuracy,
its ability to handle variance in the data, and its robustness to errors. This evaluation allows you to fine-
tune the model, improve its accuracy, and deploy it confidently for real-world car price predictions.
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CODE AND ITS OUTPUT (INCLUDING DATA
VISUALIZATION)
Install Required Libraries:
# Import libraries
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
import os
Data Preprocessing
# Data Visualization
cat_cols = ['fuel','seller_type','transmission','owner']
i=0
while i < 4:
fig = plt.figure(figsize=[10,4])
#ax1 = fig.add_subplot(121)
#ax2 = fig.add_subplot(122)
#ax1.title.set_text(cat_cols[i])
plt.subplot(1,2,1)
sns.countplot(x=cat_cols[i], data=df_main)
i += 1
#ax2.title.set_text(cat_cols[i])
plt.subplot(1,2,2)
sns.countplot(x=cat_cols[i], data=df_main)
i += 1
plt.show()
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num_cols = ['selling_price','km_driven','Age']
i=0
while i < 2:
fig = plt.figure(figsize=[13,3])
#ax1 = fig.add_subplot(121)
#ax2 = fig.add_subplot(122)
#ax1.title.set_text(num_cols[i])
plt.subplot(1,2,1)
sns.boxplot(x=num_cols[i], data=df_main)
i += 1
#ax2.title.set_text(num_cols[i])
plt.subplot(1,2,2)
sns.boxplot(x=num_cols[i], data=df_main)
i += 1
plt.show()
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Bivariate / Multi-Variate Analysis:
Creating Dummies for Categorical Feature:
Train-Test Split:
Model Creation/Evaluation:
Applying regression models:
1. Linear Regression
2. Ridge Regression
3. Lasso Regression
4. Random Forest Regression
5. Gradient Boosting regression
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R2_test = []
def car_pred_model(model,model_name):
# Training model
model.fit(X_train,y_train)
# Printing results
print("Train R2-score :",round(R2_train_model,2))
print("Test R2-score :",round(R2_test_model,2))
print("Train CV scores :",cross_val)
print("Train CV mean :",round(cv_mean,2))
# Plotting Graphs
# Residual Plot of train data
fig, ax = plt.subplots(1,2,figsize = (10,4))
ax[0].set_title('Residual Plot of Train samples')
sns.distplot((y_train-y_pred_train),hist = False,ax = ax[0])
ax[0].set_xlabel('y_train - y_pred_train')
plt.show()
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Ridge:
# range of alpha
alpha = np.logspace(-3,3,num=14)
car_pred_model(rg_rs,"ridge.pkl")
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Lasso:
ls = Lasso()
alpha = np.logspace(-3,3,num=14) # range for alpha
car_pred_model(ls_rs,"lasso.pkl")
Random Forest:
rf = RandomForestRegressor()
# Hyperparameters dict
param_grid = {"n_estimators":n_estimators,
"max_depth":max_depth,
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"min_samples_split":min_samples_split,
"min_samples_leaf":min_samples_leaf,
"max_features":max_features}
Gradient Boosting:
gb = GradientBoostingRegressor()
# Hyperparameters dict
param_grid = {"learning_rate":learning_rate,
"n_estimators":n_estimators,
"max_depth":max_depth,
"min_samples_split":min_samples_split,
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"min_samples_leaf":min_samples_leaf,
"max_features":max_features}
car_pred_model(gb_rs,"gradient_boosting.pkl")
Technique=["LinearRegression","Ridge","Lasso","RandomForestRegressor","GradientBoostingRegresso
r"]
results=pd.DataFrame({'Model': Technique,'R Squared(Train)': R2_train,'R Squared(Test)': R2_test,'CV
score mean(Train)': CV})
display(results)
OUTPUT:
1. Console Output:
o Data overview: head, info, and summary statistics.
o Missing values and preprocessing steps.
o Model evaluation metrics: MSE, RMSE, and R-squared.
2. Charts:
o Feature Importance: Displays the impact of each feature on predictions.
o Actual vs Predicted Prices: Scatter plot to visualize prediction accuracy.
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o Residual Distribution: Histogram of residuals for error analysis.
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LIMITATION IN CAR PRICE PREDICTION ANALYSIS
Car price prediction analysis is a valuable application of machine learning, but it has its limitations. These
limitations arise due to data quality, model design, and external factors. Below are some key limitations,
along with examples:
Example:
If the dataset contains placeholders like '?' or incorrect data (e.g., unrealistic values for mileage or
price), the model may produce unreliable predictions.
Solution:
2. Feature Selection
Limitation: The features used in the model might not capture all factors influencing car prices.
Example:
A dataset might exclude critical variables like accident history, service records, or seasonal
demand (e.g., SUVs might have higher demand in winter).
Solution:
Enrich the dataset with more relevant features, though this may be challenging if such data is
unavailable.
3. Market Fluctuations
Limitation: Car prices fluctuate due to market conditions like inflation, fuel prices, and government
policies.
Example:
A sudden increase in fuel prices might decrease demand for fuel-inefficient cars, leading to a drop
in their prices. The model trained on historical data may fail to account for this.
Solution:
Incorporate time-series data or retrain the model frequently with up-to-date information.
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4. Model Interpretability
Limitation: Complex models like XGBoost may act as black boxes, making it difficult to explain why a
specific prediction was made.
Example:
A customer might want to understand why their car is valued lower than similar models. The
model’s lack of interpretability can make it hard to provide a clear explanation.
Solution:
Use explainability tools like SHAP or LIME to make model predictions more interpretable.
5. Data Imbalance
Limitation: If certain car brands or types are overrepresented in the dataset, the model may be biased.
Example:
A dataset with a majority of budget cars and fewer luxury cars might lead the model to undervalue
high-end vehicles.
Solution:
Example:
Electric vehicles (EVs) might have higher demand in urban areas with EV charging infrastructure
but lower demand in rural areas.
Solution:
Include regional and contextual data, though such data might not always be available.
7. Overfitting
Limitation: A model trained too closely on the training data might perform poorly on unseen data.
Example:
A model might memorize specific details about cars in the training set rather than learning general
patterns, leading to poor performance on test data.
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Solution:
8. Unpredictable Events
Limitation: Sudden, unpredictable events (e.g., economic recessions, pandemics, or natural disasters) can
render historical data irrelevant.
Example:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for cars decreased significantly in some regions, and
prices dropped. A model trained on pre-pandemic data might fail to predict these changes.
Solution:
Continuously update the model with real-time data and account for external shocks.
Example:
A model might predict a high price for a car with high mileage because it has luxury features,
ignoring that high mileage usually decreases car value.
Solution:
Example:
If the model considers a seller’s location and undervalues cars in economically disadvantaged
areas, it might perpetuate inequality.
Solution:
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REFERENCE
Car price prediction has garnered significant attention in recent years, with numerous studies exploring
various machine learning techniques to enhance prediction accuracy. Here are some notable research
papers and references on this topic:
1. "Car Price Prediction Using Machine Learning Techniques" by Yavuz Selim Balcıoğlu and
Bülent Sezen (2023):
o This study investigates the application of machine learning (ML) techniques to predict car
prices, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive data collection and preprocessing.
The authors explore the effectiveness of various ML algorithms, including Random Forest
(RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), in
predicting car prices.
ResearchGate
IEEE Xplore
IARJSET
4. "Prediction of the Price of Used Cars Based on Machine Learning Algorithms" (2023):
o This paper uses three prediction models, namely XGBoost, Support Vector Machine
(SVM), and Neural Network, to estimate the transaction prices of used cars. The study
highlights the effectiveness of these models in predicting car prices.
ResearchGate
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6. "Vehicle Price Prediction by Aggregating Decision Tree Model with Boosting Model" by
Auwal Tijjani Amshi (2023):
o This research proposes a system that combines a Decision Tree model and Gradient
Boosting predictive model to achieve accurate vehicle price predictions. The study
highlights the effectiveness of aggregating models for improved prediction performance.
7. "AI Blue Book: Vehicle Price Prediction Using Visual Features" by Richard R. Yang et al.
(2018):
o This work builds machine learning models to predict product prices based on images,
specifically focusing on bicycles and cars. The study demonstrates that deep
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) significantly outperform other models in price
prediction tasks.
8. "How Much Is My Car Worth? A Methodology for Predicting Used Cars Prices Using
Random Forest" by Nabarun Pal et al. (2017):
o This paper presents a methodology using the Random Forest algorithm to predict used car
prices. The model achieves high accuracy, demonstrating the potential of Random Forest
in capturing the complexities of car price prediction.
These references provide a comprehensive overview of the various methodologies and machine learning
techniques applied in car price prediction analysis. They offer valuable insights into the factors
influencing car prices and the effectiveness of different predictive models.
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