Classification of excessive domestic water consumption using Fuzzy Clustering Method

Abstract

Demand for clean and treated water is increasing all over the world. Therefore it is crucial to conserve water for better use and to avoid unnecessary, excessive consumption or wastage of this natural resource. Classification of excessive domestic water consumption is a difficult task due to the complexity in determining the amount of water usage per activity, especially as the data is known to vary between individuals. In this study, classification of excessive domestic water consumption is carried out using a well-known Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm. Consumer data containing information on daily, weekly and monthly domestic water usage was employed for the purpose of classification. Using the same dataset, the result produced by the FCM clustering algorithm is compared with the result obtained from a statistical control chart. The finding of this study demonstrates the potential use of the FCM clustering algorithm for the classification of domestic consumer water consumption data.