A new, fast and accurate algorithm for hierarchical clustering on Euclidean distances

Abstract

A simple hierarchical clustering algorithm called CLUBS (for CLustering Using Binary Splitting) is proposed. CLUBS is faster and more accurate than existing algorithms, including k-means and its recently proposed refinements. The algorithm consists of a divisive phase and an agglomerative phase; during these two phases, the samples are repartitioned using a least quadratic distance criterion possessing unique analytical properties that we exploit to achieve a very fast computation. CLUBS derives good clusters without requiring input from users, and it is robust and impervious to noise, while providing better speed and accuracy than methods, such as BIRCH, that are endowed with the same critical properties. © Springer-Verlag 2013.