title: Applying Non-Numeric Data to Neural Nets
body: <p>I'd like to include non-numeric data in my neural network. Specifically, I'm looking at GICS Industry Classifications (e.g., Utilities, Technology). I don't think this data can be meaningfully translated to numeric data. </p>
  
  <p>One solution would be using a dummy variable to flag for each industry. The limitation of this approach would be the ballooning dimensions in the input layer of the neural net. Is there a more sophisticated approach to handling this type of problem?</p>