An Ensemble Clustering Framework Based on Hierarchical Clustering Ensemble Selection and Clusters Clustering

Abstract

Ensemble clustering combines the results of multiple individual clustering methods for better results. Basically, all available clustering methods can be combined to produce final clusters. However, selecting a subset of optimal methods can reduce the complexity and increase the efficiency of ensemble clustering methods. This article examines the problem of selecting individual clustering methods to produce an ensemble hierarchical clustering method. Hierarchical clustering is a technique for grouping data at different scales by creating dendrograms. The aim is to select a subset of individual hierarchical clustering methods considering diversity and quality that can create an ensemble clustering method with minimal complexity. The proposed method consists of three main phases. The selection of a subset of individual hierarchical clustering methods is done in the first phase. In the second phase, the results of the selected clusters are re-clustered to create super-clusters. Super-clusters can combine clustering knowledge of different methods into one clustering form. Finally, the final clusters are formed by assigning each sample to a super-cluster with the shortest distance in the third phase. Experimental results on several datasets from the University of California Irvine (UCI) repository show that the proposed method performs better than the state-of-the-art algorithms.