A new algorithm for clustering based on kernel density estimation

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present an algorithm for clustering based on univariate kernel density estimation, named ClusterKDE. It consists of an iterative procedure that in each step a new cluster is obtained by minimizing a smooth kernel function. Although in our applications we have used the univariate Gaussian kernel, any smooth kernel function can be used. The proposed algorithm has the advantage of not requiring a priori the number of cluster. Furthermore, the ClusterKDE algorithm is very simple, easy to implement, well-defined and stops in a finite number of steps, namely, it always converges independently of the initial point. We also illustrate our findings by numerical experiments which are obtained when our algorithm is implemented in the software Matlab and applied to practical applications. The results indicate that the ClusterKDE algorithm is competitive and fast when compared with the well-known Clusterdata and K-means algorithms, used by Matlab to clustering data.

KEYWORDS:

• Kernel density estimation
• Gaussian kernel
• clustering data
• optimization method
• ClusterKDE algorithm

Acknowledgements

We are most grateful to World Bank and Sistema Meteorológico do Paraná – SIMEPAR for making these data sets available to us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

L.C. Matioli  http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6506-3550