Distance based k-means clustering algorithm for determining number of clusters for high dimensional data

Abstract

Clustering is one of the most common unsupervised data mining classification techniques for splitting objects into a set of meaningful groups. However, the traditional k-means algorithm is not applicable to retrieve useful information / clusters, particularly when there is an overwhelming growth of multidimensional data. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a new strategy to determine the optimal number of clusters. To improve the clustering task on high dimensional data sets, the distance based k-means algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm is tested using eighteen sets of normal and non-normal multivariate simulation data under various combinations. Evidence gathered from the simulation reveal that the proposed algorithm is capable of identifying the exact number of clusters.