Unsupervised minor prototype detection using an adaptive population partitioning algorithm

This paper presents a new partitioning algorithm, designated as the Adaptive C-Populations (ACP) clustering algorithm, capable of identifying natural subgroups and influential minor prototypes in an unlabeled dataset. In contrast to traditional Fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithms, which partition the whole dataset equally, adaptive clustering algorithms, such as that presented in this study, identify the natural subgroups in unlabeled datasets. In this paper, data points within a small, dense region located at a relatively large distance from any of the major cluster centers are considered to form a minor prototype. The aim of ACP is to adaptively separate these isolated minor clusters from the major clusters in the dataset. The study commences by introducing the mathematical model of the proposed ACP algorithm and demonstrates its convergence to a stable solution. The ability of ACP to detect minor prototypes is confirmed via its application to the clustering of three different datasets with different sizes and characteristics.