Incomplete Information Management Using an Improved Belief Entropy in Dempster-Shafer Evidence Theory

• Main Authors: Bin Yang, Dingyi Gan, Yongchuan Tang, Yan Lei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Entropy
• Subjects: Dempster–Shafer evidence theory; belief entropy; Deng entropy; uncertainty management; incomplete information fusion
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/22/9/993

Quantifying uncertainty is a hot topic for uncertain information processing in the framework of evidence theory, but there is limited research on belief entropy in the open world assumption. In this paper, an uncertainty measurement method that is based on Deng entropy, named Open Deng entropy (ODE), is proposed. In the open world assumption, the frame of discernment (FOD) may be incomplete, and ODE can reasonably and effectively quantify uncertain incomplete information. On the basis of Deng entropy, the ODE adopts the mass value of the empty set, the cardinality of FOD, and the natural constant <i>e</i> to construct a new uncertainty factor for modeling the uncertainty in the FOD. Numerical example shows that, in the closed world assumption, ODE can be degenerated to Deng entropy. An ODE-based information fusion method for sensor data fusion is proposed in uncertain environments. By applying it to the sensor data fusion experiment, the rationality and effectiveness of ODE and its application in uncertain information fusion are verified.