HyperGCN – a multi-layer multi-exit graph neural network to enhance hyperspectral image classification

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have recently garnered significant attention due to their exceptional performance across various applications, including hyperspectral (HS) image classification. However, most existing GNN-based models for HS image classification are limited depth models and often suffer from performance degradation as model depth increases. This study introduces HyperGCN, an exclusive GNN-based model designed with multiple graph convolutional layers to exploit the rich spectral information inherent in HS images, thereby enhancing classification performance. To address performance degradation, HyperGCN incorporates techniques resistant to oversmoothing into its architecture. Additionally, multiple-side exit branches are integrated into the intermediate layers of HyperGCN, enabling dynamic management of the complexity of HS images. Less complex HS images are processed by fewer layers, exiting early via attached branches, while more complex images traverse multiple layers until reaching the final output layer. Extensive experiments on four benchmark HS datasets (Indian Pines, Pavia University, Salinas, and Botswana) demonstrate HyperGCN's superior performance over basic GNN-based models. Notably, HyperGCN outperforms or performs comparably to the CNN-GNN combined model in classifying HS images. Furthermore, the superior performance of multi-exit HyperGCN over its single-exit counterpart emphasizes the effectiveness of incorporating side exit branches in GNN-based HS image classification. Compared to state-of-the-art models, multi-exit HyperGCN demonstrates competitive performance, highlighting its effectiveness in handling complex spectral information in HS images while maintaining an acceptable balance between accuracy and computational efficiency.