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Paper details
Number 3 - September 2018
Volume 28 - 2018
Linguistically defined clustering of data
Jacek M. Leski, Marian P. Kotas
Abstract
This paper introduces a method of data clustering that is based on linguistically specified rules, similar to those applied
by a human visually fulfilling a task. The method endeavors to follow these remarkable capabilities of intelligent beings.
Even for most complicated data patterns a human is capable of accomplishing the clustering process using relatively simple
rules. His/her way of clustering is a sequential search for new structures in the data and new prototypes with the use of
the following linguistic rule: search for prototypes in regions of extremely high data densities and immensely far from
the previously found ones. Then, after this search has been completed, the respective data have to be assigned to any of
the clusters whose nuclei (prototypes) have been found. A human again uses a simple linguistic rule: data from regions
with similar densities, which are located exceedingly close to each other, should belong to the same cluster. The goal of this work is to prove experimentally that such simple linguistic rules can result in a clustering method that is competitive
with the most effective methods known from the literature on the subject. A linguistic formulation of a validity index for
determination of the number of clusters is also presented. Finally, an extensive experimental analysis of benchmark datasets
is performed to demonstrate the validity of the clustering approach introduced. Its competitiveness with the state-of-the-art
solutions is also shown.
Keywords
clustering, possibility theory, linguistic rules, data analysis