Benchmark

An alternative prediction or approach used to compare a model’s inputs and outputs to estimates from alternative internal or external data or models.

Standard against which results can be measured or assessed; Procedure, problem, or test that can be used to compare systems or components to each other or to a standard.

The term benchmarking is used in machine learning (ML) to refer to the evaluation and comparison of ML methods regarding their ability to learn patterns in ‘benchmark’ datasets that have been applied as ‘standards’. Benchmarking could be thought of simply as a sanity check to confirm that a new method successfully runs as expected and can reliably find simple patterns that existing methods are known to identify.

a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point

a standard by which something can be measured or judged