GIVING FUZZINESS TO SPATIAL CLUSTERS: A NEW INDEX FOR CHOOSING THE OPTIMAL NUMBER OF CLUSTERS

Abstract

Choosing the optimal number of clusters is a key issue in cluster analysis. Especially when dealing with more spatial clustering, things tend to be more complicated. Cluster validation helps to determine the appropriate number of clusters present in a dataset. Furthermore, cluster validation evaluates and assesses the results of clustering algorithms. There are numerous methods and techniques for choosing the optimal number of clusters via crisp and fuzzy clustering. In this paper, we introduce a new index for fuzzy clustering to determine the optimal number of clusters. This index is not another metric for calculating compactness or separation among partitions. Instead, the index uses several existing indices to give a degree, or fuzziness, to the optimal number of clusters. In this way, not only do the objects in a fuzzy cluster get a membership value, but the number of clusters to be partitioned is given a value as well. The new index is used in the fuzzy c-means algorithm for the geodemographic segmentation of 285 postal codes.