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Elementary Cluster Analysis - Four Basic Methods that (Usually) Work (Hardcover)
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Elementary Cluster Analysis - Four Basic Methods that (Usually) Work (Hardcover)
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The availability of packaged clustering programs means that anyone
with data can easily do cluster analysis on it. But many users of
this technology don't fully appreciate its many hidden dangers. In
today's world of "grab and go algorithms," part of my motivation
for writing this book is to provide users with a set of cautionary
tales about cluster analysis, for it is very much an art as well as
a science, and it is easy to stumble if you don't understand its
pitfalls. Indeed, it is easy to trip over them even if you do! The
parenthetical word usually in the title is very important, because
all clustering algorithms can and do fail from time to time. Modern
cluster analysis has become so technically intricate that it is
often hard for the beginner or the non-specialist to appreciate and
understand its many hidden dangers. Here's how Yogi Berra put it,
and he was right: In theory there's no difference between theory
and practice. In practice, there is ~Yogi Berra This book is a step
backwards, to four classical methods for clustering in small,
static data sets that have all withstood the tests of time. The
youngest of the four methods is now almost 50 years old: Gaussian
Mixture Decomposition (GMD, 1898) SAHN Clustering (principally
single linkage (SL, 1909)) Hard c-means (HCM, 1956, also widely
known as (aka) "k-means") Fuzzy c-means (FCM, 1973, reduces to HCM
in a certain limit) The dates are the first known writing (to me,
anyway) about these four models. I am (with apologies to Marvel
Comics) very comfortable in calling HCM, FCM, GMD and SL the
Fantastic Four. Cluster analysis is a vast topic. The overall
picture in clustering is quite overwhelming, so any attempt to swim
at the deep end of the pool in even a very specialized subfield
requires a lot of training. But we all start out at the shallow end
(or at least that's where we should start!), and this book is aimed
squarely at teaching toddlers not to be afraid of the water. There
is no section of this book that, if explored in real depth, cannot
be expanded into its own volume. So, if your needs are for an
in-depth treatment of all the latest developments in any topic in
this volume, the best I can do - what I will try to do anyway - is
lead you to the pool, and show you where to jump in.
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