  Machine learning explanation can significantly boost machine learning's
application in decision making, but the usability of current methods is limited
in human-centric explanation, especially for transfer learning, an important
machine learning branch that aims at utilizing knowledge from one learning
domain (i.e., a pair of dataset and prediction task) to enhance prediction
model training in another learning domain. In this paper, we propose an
ontology-based approach for human-centric explanation of transfer learning.
Three kinds of knowledge-based explanatory evidence, with different
granularities, including general factors, particular narrators and core
contexts are first proposed and then inferred with both local ontologies and
external knowledge bases. The evaluation with US flight data and DBpedia has
presented their confidence and availability in explaining the transferability
of feature representation in flight departure delay forecasting.
