---
title: Are you Using These Three Methods to Detect Anomalies?
description: We will discuss three methods; Kmeans clustering, Markov chains, and neural networks. They will be related to a specific use case, as well as other ......
image: https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/3Methods.png
---

[![Online Business Systems](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/OBS%20+%20CGI%20LOGO%203.png)](https://www.obsglobal.com)

Toggle navigation

About

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/About-Our_Approach.png)

###### Our Company

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Our-Community-Icon.png)

###### Our Community

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Executive-Team-Icon.png)

###### Executive team

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/About-Partners.png)

###### Partners & Clients

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/About-News.png)

###### News

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/About-Events.png)

###### Events

Services

### [DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services)

![Digital Advisory Services](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-trans-cons-1.png)

##### [Digital Advisory Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services)

[Assessment,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#assessment) [Strategy & Roadmap,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/strategy-roadmap) <https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/strategy-roadmap>[Enterprise Performance Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#enterprise_results_management) [Change Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/change-management)

![Digital Studio Products](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-prod-dev.png)

##### [Digital Studio](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio)

[Custom Software Development,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/custom-software-development/) [Product Vision,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/product-vision) [Product Delivery,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/digital-product-delivery/) [Product Operations](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio)

![Salesforce](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/salesforce-1.png)

##### [Salesforce](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce)

[Sales Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#sales_cloud) [Marketing Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/salesforce-marketing-cloud/) [Service Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce) <https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#lightening_enablement>[Agentforce,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/salesforce-agentforce/) [Salesforce Consulting](https://www.obsglobal.com/salesforce-consulting)<https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#mulesoft_integration>

![Service Management](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_37_21-Clipboard.png)

##### [Service Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management)

[IT Service Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management#it_service_management) [Enterprise Service Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management/enterprise-sm)

![Customer Engagement](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-adv.png)

##### [Customer Engagement](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement)

[Contact Center Consulting,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement/contact-center-consulting) [Five9,](https://www.obsglobal.com/partners-and-clients/five9/) [Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS),](https://www.obsglobal.com/contact-center-as-a-service-ccaas/) [Conversational AI](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement/conversational-ai)

![Business and Technical Consulting](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_37_40-Clipboard.png)

##### [Business and Technical Consulting](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-and-technical-consulting)

[Project Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Quality Assurance  Development & AMS,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Systems Integration,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Cloud Deployment,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Infrastructure Managed Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/infrastructure-managed-services/)

![Data Services](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/DataServices-icon.png)

##### [Data Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)

[Data Engineering & Architecture,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)[Data Management & Governance,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)[Data Analytics & Reporting](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)

![ai-sparkle](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ai-sparkle.png)

##### [Artificial Intelligence](https://www.obsglobal.com)

[GenAI](https://www.obsglobal.com/gen-ai), [GenAI Workshops,](https://info.obsglobal.com/gen-ai-workshop-registration) [Document Intelligence](https://www.obsglobal.com/innovation-lab/document-intelligence)<https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#enterprise_results_management>

### [CYBERSECURITY](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity)

![2020-02-26-16_38_37-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_37-Clipboard.png)

##### [Security Advisory Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services)

[CISO Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/vciso/) [Security Program Management](http://obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/security-program-management/)                                            [Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR)](https://info.obsglobal.com/digital-forensics-incident-response)<http://obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/security-program-management/>

![2020-02-26-16_38_23-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_23-Clipboard.png)

##### [Assessment Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/assessment-services)

[PCI Compliance and Assessment](https://www.obsglobal.com/compliance-assessment-pci) Third-Party Risk Assurance [Risk & Privacy Readiness Assessment and Remediation](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/assessment-services) Compliance and Assessments: ISO, NIST, SOC, GDPR

![2020-02-26-16_38_09-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_09-Clipboard.png)

##### [Offensive Security Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services)

[Penetration Testing – Network](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Wireless](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Web & App](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Red Teaming](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Social Engineering](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#social_engineering) [Secure Code Analysis & Review](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#secure_code_analysis_and_review) [Vulnerability Assessment](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/vulnerability-assessment/) [Autonomous & Continuous Testing](https://info.obsglobal.com/autonomous-continuous-testing)<https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#secure_code_analysis_and_review>

![RSP Health-Color Thin](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/RSP%20Health-Color%20Thin.png)

##### [Healthcare Cybersecurity](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/rsp-health/)

[Risk Management Program](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/) [HITRUST Readiness](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/) [HIPAA Compliance](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/)<https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/rsp-health/>

![CloudSecurity_icon_WP-jm](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/CloudSecurity_icon_WP-jm.png)

##### [Cloud Security Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services/)

[Cloud Security Advisory](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services) [Cloud Security Engineering](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services) [Cloud Security Assessment (FedRAMP/StateRAMP)](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services)

Innovation

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Bulb_Brain.png)

###### Innovation Lab

Careers

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Careers-Available_Positions.png)

###### CURRENT OPENINGS

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Careers_Working_At-Online.png)

###### OUR CULTURE

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Our-Benefits1.png)

###### OUR BENEFITS

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Address.png)

###### CULTURE CREDO

Insights

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/BLOGS-icon-5ed95c0032155.png)

###### Blog

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/CX%20Solutions%20Icon.png)

###### Customer Experience

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Agile%20Transformation%20Mega%20Menu%20Icon.png)

###### Agile Transformation

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/b2b%20ecommerce%20icon.png)

###### B2B eCommerce

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Financial-Services-Icon.png)

###### Financial Services

Contact

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ContactUs_Contact-Us-Form.png)

###### Contact Us

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ContactUs-Locations.png)

###### Locations

About

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/About-Our_Approach.png)

###### Our Company

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Our-Community-Icon.png)

###### Our Community

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Executive-Team-Icon.png)

###### Executive team

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/About-Partners.png)

###### Partners & Clients

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/About-News.png)

###### News

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/About-Events.png)

###### Events

Services

### [DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services)

![Digital Advisory Services](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-trans-cons-1.png)

##### [Digital Advisory Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services)

[Assessment,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#assessment) [Strategy & Roadmap,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/strategy-roadmap) <https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/strategy-roadmap>[Enterprise Performance Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#enterprise_results_management) [Change Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/change-management)

![Digital Studio Products](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-prod-dev.png)

##### [Digital Studio](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio)

[Custom Software Development,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/custom-software-development/) [Product Vision,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/product-vision) [Product Delivery,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio/digital-product-delivery/) [Product Operations](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-studio)

![Salesforce](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/salesforce-1.png)

##### [Salesforce](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce)

[Sales Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#sales_cloud) [Marketing Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/salesforce-marketing-cloud/) [Service Cloud,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce) <https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#lightening_enablement>[Agentforce,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/salesforce-agentforce/) [Salesforce Consulting](https://www.obsglobal.com/salesforce-consulting)<https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/salesforce/#mulesoft_integration>

![Service Management](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_37_21-Clipboard.png)

##### [Service Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management)

[IT Service Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management#it_service_management) [Enterprise Service Management](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/service-management/enterprise-sm)

![Customer Engagement](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/dig-adv.png)

##### [Customer Engagement](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement)

[Contact Center Consulting,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement/contact-center-consulting) [Five9,](https://www.obsglobal.com/partners-and-clients/five9/) [Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS),](https://www.obsglobal.com/contact-center-as-a-service-ccaas/) [Conversational AI](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/customer-engagement/conversational-ai)

![Business and Technical Consulting](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_37_40-Clipboard.png)

##### [Business and Technical Consulting](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-and-technical-consulting)

[Project Management,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Quality Assurance  Development & AMS,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Systems Integration,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Cloud Deployment,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/) [Infrastructure Managed Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/business-technical-consulting/infrastructure-managed-services/)

![Data Services](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/DataServices-icon.png)

##### [Data Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)

[Data Engineering & Architecture,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)[Data Management & Governance,](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)[Data Analytics & Reporting](https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/data-services/)

![ai-sparkle](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ai-sparkle.png)

##### [Artificial Intelligence](https://www.obsglobal.com)

[GenAI](https://www.obsglobal.com/gen-ai), [GenAI Workshops,](https://info.obsglobal.com/gen-ai-workshop-registration) [Document Intelligence](https://www.obsglobal.com/innovation-lab/document-intelligence)<https://www.obsglobal.com/digital-transformation/digital-advisory-services/#enterprise_results_management>

### [CYBERSECURITY](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity)

![2020-02-26-16_38_37-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_37-Clipboard.png)

##### [Security Advisory Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services)

[CISO Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/vciso/) [Security Program Management](http://obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/security-program-management/)                                            [Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR)](https://info.obsglobal.com/digital-forensics-incident-response)<http://obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/security-advisory-services/security-program-management/>

![2020-02-26-16_38_23-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_23-Clipboard.png)

##### [Assessment Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/assessment-services)

[PCI Compliance and Assessment](https://www.obsglobal.com/compliance-assessment-pci) Third-Party Risk Assurance [Risk & Privacy Readiness Assessment and Remediation](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/assessment-services) Compliance and Assessments: ISO, NIST, SOC, GDPR

![2020-02-26-16_38_09-Clipboard](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/2020-02-26-16_38_09-Clipboard.png)

##### [Offensive Security Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services)

[Penetration Testing – Network](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Wireless](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Web & App](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Red Teaming](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/penetration-testing) [Social Engineering](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#social_engineering) [Secure Code Analysis & Review](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#secure_code_analysis_and_review) [Vulnerability Assessment](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services/vulnerability-assessment/) [Autonomous & Continuous Testing](https://info.obsglobal.com/autonomous-continuous-testing)<https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/offensive-security-services#secure_code_analysis_and_review>

![RSP Health-Color Thin](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/RSP%20Health-Color%20Thin.png)

##### [Healthcare Cybersecurity](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/rsp-health/)

[Risk Management Program](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/) [HITRUST Readiness](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/) [HIPAA Compliance](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/health-cybersecurity/)<https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/rsp-health/>

![CloudSecurity_icon_WP-jm](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/CloudSecurity_icon_WP-jm.png)

##### [Cloud Security Services](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services/)

[Cloud Security Advisory](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services) [Cloud Security Engineering](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services) [Cloud Security Assessment (FedRAMP/StateRAMP)](https://www.obsglobal.com/cybersecurity/cloud-security-services)

Innovation

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Bulb_Brain.png)

###### Innovation Lab

Careers

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Careers-Available_Positions.png)

###### CURRENT OPENINGS

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Careers_Working_At-Online.png)

###### OUR CULTURE

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Our-Benefits1.png)

###### OUR BENEFITS

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Address.png)

###### CULTURE CREDO

Insights

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/BLOGS-icon-5ed95c0032155.png)

###### Blog

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/CX%20Solutions%20Icon.png)

###### Customer Experience

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Agile%20Transformation%20Mega%20Menu%20Icon.png)

###### Agile Transformation

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/b2b%20ecommerce%20icon.png)

###### B2B eCommerce

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Financial-Services-Icon.png)

###### Financial Services

Contact

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ContactUs_Contact-Us-Form.png)

###### Contact Us

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/ContactUs-Locations.png)

###### Locations

×

# Are you Using These Three Methods to Detect Anomalies?

 By [Mark Giroux](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/author/mark-giroux) on July 18, 2019 (Last Updated on June 28, 2021 ) 

![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/3Methods.png)

### Get latest articles directly in your inbox, stay up to date

 Subscribe to our blog

### Topics

- Select a Topic

### Stay up to date

 Subscribe to our blog

### Subscribe Here!

[Back to main Blog](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog)

###### Mark Giroux

In a world where autonomous systems are becoming more numerous, there is pressure to build similarly autonomous agents to observe these systems for anomalous behavior. Given the complexity of the systems, and the fact that it is not economically viable to employ humans to observe them, we must find a way of *algorithmically* solving this problem.

The incredible speed of modern computers, and improvements to machine learning algorithms provide us with an extensive toolkit with which to perform anomaly detection. Furthermore, cloud computing and low-powered edge devices offer us the ability to train complex models and run them inexpensively on affordable devices.

There are three methods we can employ when detecting anomalies; Kmeans clustering, Markov chains, and neural networks. In this blog we will discuss how each method can relate to a specific use case, as well as other possible scenarios and technologies.

## **Anomaly detection in a household**

How can a machine be taught which are anticipated day-to-day activities and which are potential threats? Think of the variables involving human activity and how unpredictable we can be!  How can a machine be taught to recognize typical and atypical behaviour?

Algorithms.

Our specific use case was the detection of anomalous behaviour within a household, training an agent in the cloud and deploying it to execute in real-time on a low-powered edge device, in our case a Raspberry Pi. After monitoring the typical activity for a month and collecting the data, our agent had what was needed to establish an accurate activity baseline so that anomalous behavior could be highlighted in real-time.

Given the sporadic nature of human behavior, and the generality of the problem, this was a particularly difficult problem to solve. Explicit algorithms could not be used, due to the infinitude of edge cases and exceptions to rules.

More associative and self-organizing models were required to solve this, in particular, these three distinct methods:

### **Kmeans**

**![Image courtesy of mathworks.com](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KMeans-Diagram.jpg?width=561&name=KMeans-Diagram.jpg)**

**Kmeans is a clustering algorithm that groups objects based on their features.**

Objects with similar features will be closer together than ones with different features, and categories can be formed based on this proximity.

For our specific use case, we created n-dimensional vectors by combining motion sensor events into activities. These activities could then be clustered based on features *(in this case, the features were the on/off state of the motion sensor ids).* To test anomalous behavior, we checked if new activities fell outside of the normal behaviour as represented by the clusters.   
If they did, these outliers were considered to be anomalous. 

### **Markov Chains**

**![MarkovChain-Diagram](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MarkovChain-Diagram.png?width=283&name=MarkovChain-Diagram.png)**

**A Markov chain is a state-transition graph with weighted edges that represent the probability that any state will transition to another.**

This is useful in anomaly detection because we can set a threshold of minimum transition probability observed during normal behavior.

For our use case, we found the minimum probability of one motion sensor transitioning to another, and any subsequent transitions that fell below this threshold was labelled anomalous.

### **Neural Network - LSTM**

**![LSTM-Diagram](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LSTM-Diagram.png?width=479&name=LSTM-Diagram.png)**

**An LSTM is a variant of a neural net that models temporal information.**

It is often used for prediction, which makes it useful for applications like natural language processing.

Predicting the next household activity, given a history of past activities was where LSTM was applied for this case. This essentially built up a model of normal behavior, which then allowed us to identify anomalous behavior as an activity that the LSTM did not expect.

 

### **Results**

Human behavior is very unpredictable, which makes it the perfect testing ground for machine learning. We were able to draw out many of the anomalies in our test data, and reasonably manage the false positives.

Each algorithm had its pro’s and con’s; Kmeans and the Markov chain had very low false positives but were very simplistic and did not generalize well.   
The LSTM was more complex and generalizable but had a greater number of false positives.

Interpreting results using statistical methods such as a Multivariate Gaussian Distribution improved our abilities to effectively manage the data.

### **Applications**

The value of this project is not just measured in the success of detecting anomalies in a household, but in the multitude of technologies anomaly detection can be applied to. Given the unsupervised nature of these algorithms and the difficulty of the use case, we are confident that these methods can be applied to complex systems with only raw metrics to work from.

Possible applications include; intrusion detection in network traffic, system health monitoring, fraud detection, predictive maintenance, and industrial system monitoring, to name a few.

Anomaly detection allows companies to identify a fault as soon as it happens *(and even before that with predictive maintenance)*, saving on repairs, security breaches, and other undesirable outcomes.

**How are you currently detecting and monitoring anomalous behaviours?**

---

*Mark Giroux is a software developer and research analyst in our innovation lab, and did the majority of the implementation work for the profiled project.*

Please add your inquiry or comments for Mark in the form below and he'll be sure to get back to you!

Share this article

[Previous Post](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/5-ways-a-ba-can)

[Next Post](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/how-to-avoid-risky-business)

### Suggested Reading

[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/Modern%20Marketplace.png)](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/gaining-market-share-in-the-modern-marketplace)

 tags

[Application Development](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/application-development) [UX](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/ux)

##### [Gaining Market Share in the Modern Marketplace](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/gaining-market-share-in-the-modern-marketplace)

[Continue Reading](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/gaining-market-share-in-the-modern-marketplace)

[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/NLP%2c%20Data%20Analysis%20and%20Reporting%20blog.png)](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/the-future-of-nlp-in-data-analysis-reporting)

 tags

[Artificial Intelligence](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/artificial-intelligence) [AI](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/ai)

##### [The Future of NLP in Data Analysis & Reporting](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/the-future-of-nlp-in-data-analysis-reporting)

[Continue Reading](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/the-future-of-nlp-in-data-analysis-reporting)

[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hubfs/DontBeABadRabbit.png)](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/dont-be-a-bad-rabbit)

 tags

[Security](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/security) [Cybersecurity](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/topic/cybersecurity)

##### [Don't be a bad Rabbit](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/dont-be-a-bad-rabbit)

[Continue Reading](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog/dont-be-a-bad-rabbit)

#### Submit a Comment

### Get latest articles directly in your inbox, stay up to date

 Subscribe to our blog

- [Our Company](https://www.obsglobal.com/our-company)
- [Our Executive Team](https://www.obsglobal.com/executive-team)
- [Partners & Clients](https://www.obsglobal.com/partners-and-clients)
- [Events](https://www.obsglobal.com/events-2)
- [News](https://www.obsglobal.com/blog-2)
- [Blog](https://info.obsglobal.com/blog)
- [Working at Online](https://www.obsglobal.com/working-at-online)
- [Available Positions](https://www.obsglobal.com/job-openings)
- [Locations](https://www.obsglobal.com/locations)
- [Contact Us](https://www.obsglobal.com/contact-us)

[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hubspot%20footer%20social%20media%20icons/glassdoor%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png?width=16&name=glassdoor%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png)](https://www.glassdoor.ca/Overview/Working-at-Online-Business-Systems-EI_IE373050.11,34.htm)[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/youtube-icon.png?width=16&name=youtube-icon.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpB4PnAD2VGv9mb0jwaSl-Q) [![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hubspot%20footer%20social%20media%20icons/facebook%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png?width=16&name=facebook%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png)](https://www.facebook.com/Online-Business-Systems-Explore-Innovate-Lead-113440482070083/) [![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hubspot%20footer%20social%20media%20icons/linkedin%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png?width=16&name=linkedin%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/online-business-systems) [![twitter final](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/twitter%20final.png?width=19&height=19&name=twitter%20final.png)](https://x.com/obs_global)[![](https://info.obsglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hubspot%20footer%20social%20media%20icons/insta%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png?width=16&name=insta%20hubspot%20footer%20icon.png)](http://www.instagram.com/obs_global/)<https://www.glassdoor.ca/Overview/Working-at-Online-Business-Systems-EI_IE373050.11,34.htm>

Copyright © 2025 Online Business Systems

- [Privacy Policy](https://www.obsglobal.com/privacy-policy/) - [Accessibility Policy](https://www.obsglobal.com/accessibility-policy/)

![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=650121&fmt=gif) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=650121&fmt=gif) ![](https://ws.zoominfo.com/pixel/ZKv0AacyinojUGYlbFCd)