Improving Image Recognition with Limited Data via WACGAN-GP-Based Data Augmentation

With the rapid advancement of deep learning, data acquisition remains a persistent challenge, as model effectiveness heavily relies on the quality and quantity of training data. To address the difficulties of time-consuming and labor-intensive data collection, data augmentation techniques are commonly adopted. In this study, the proposed WACGAN-GP, a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) architecture, serves as an effective data augmentation tool designed to augment training datasets and bolster model performance. This method integrates the advantages of the Auxiliary Classifier GAN and the Wasserstein GAN with gradient penalty to generate diverse and realistic samples. Experiments were conducted on three image datasets—MNIST, CIFAR-10, and a ship classification dataset—under limited training data conditions. By incorporating WACGAN-GP generated synthetic samples into the original training sets, classification performance was evaluated in both balanced and imbalanced scenarios. The results demonstrate that the proposed GAN-based approach significantly improves recognition accuracy and outperforms conventional augmentation methods, such as horizontal and vertical flipping.