A hybrid approach for solving the cluster validity problem

A hybrid approach for solving the cluster validity problem is proposed. The proposed technique uses a cluster validity index in conjunction with a merging index to find the optimal number of clusters in a set of data. The technique does not place any restriction on the fuzzy clustering technique and the cluster validity index used. This paper examines the use of fuzzy c-means clustering and the validity index proposed by Fukuyama and Sugeno (1989). Experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique. It is shown in this paper that the proposed technique is more reliable than Fukuyama and Sugeno's original validity index.