Comparing fβ-optimal with distance based merge functions

Abstract

Merge functions informally combine information from a certain universe into a solution over that same universe. This typically results in a, preferably optimal, summarization. In previous research, merge functions over sets have been looked into extensively. A specific case concerns sets that allow elements to appear more than once, multisets. In this paper we compare two types of merge functions over multisets against each other. We examine both general properties as practical usability in a real world application. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.