MATLAB: Can I use the network from ‘nftool’ output to predict other data

Question

Hello,

This is first time I am trying neural network. Following the tutorials (videos) in the mathworks website, I used the 'nftool' to create a relationship between a set of input parameters (e.g., predictors or x1, x2, x3, …xn in regression) and a target parameter (e.g., predicted or y in the regression). Now, can I use the network (or relationship) created here to predict the value (e.g., y) using another independent set of same predictors? For example, I have a file with only predictors (x1, x2, x3, …xn). Can I use these to predict y (as we develop a regression equation and use the relationship to predict the y value from another set of data). How can I express the relationship and where I can get that in the output? Can I express the relationship as we express in the regression equation? Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.

I am using matlab version 7.9.0 (R2009b) and the neural netwrok toolbox version 6.0.3.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Asim

Answer 1

If the old and new data can be considered to be samples from the same probability distribution, then

ynew = net(xnew);

should do the trick.