Example: wind turbine power
Predict a turbine’s power output, 0 to 2000 kW, from weather and operating readings.1. Band the target
Replace the continuous power column with a class per 200 kW range:2. Train a multi-class model
Take the dataset to Model Crucible. Feature Refinery handles binary targets only today, so a banded target skips refinement. The prediction for each row is a band, for example3, meaning 400–600 kW.
3. Refine within a band, if you need more precision
A 200 kW band may be too coarse. To go finer:- Take the rows whose actual output falls in one band, say 400–600 kW.
- Band that range again, for example ten 20 kW sub-bands.
- Train a second model on those rows.
- At prediction time, send rows the first model places in 400–600 kW to the second model.
Things to watch
- Band width is a trade. Narrower bands give a more precise answer but fewer rows per class and a harder problem. Start coarse.
- Bands are not buckets. The platform’s Buckets setting controls internal cross-validation and has nothing to do with how you band the target. See the Glossary.
- Ordering is not modelled. The classifier treats bands as separate labels. It does not know band 4 is closer to band 5 than to band 9.