ACONS: A new algorithm for clustering documents

Abstract

In this paper we present a new algorithm for document clustering called Condensed Star (ACONS). This algorithm is a natural evolution of the Star algorithm proposed by Aslam et al., and improved by them and other researchers. In this method, we introduced a new concept of star allowing a different star-shaped form; in this way we retain the strengths of previous algorithms as well as address previous short-comings. The evaluation experiments on standard document collections show that the proposed algorithm outperforms previously defined methods and obtains a smaller number of clusters. Since the ACONS algorithm is relatively simple to implement and is also efficient, we advocate its use for tasks that require clustering, such as information organization, browsing, topic tracking, and new topic detection. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.