Split-and-merge tweak in cross entropy clustering

Abstract

In order to solve the local convergence problem of the Cross Entropy Clustering algorithm, a split-and-merge operation is introduced to escape from local minima and reach a better solution. We describe the theoretical aspects of the method in a limited space, present a few strategies of tweaking the clustering algorithm and compare them with existing solutions. The experiments show that the presented approach increases flexibility and effectiveness of the whole algorithm.