New modifications and applications of fuzzy C-means methodology

The fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm and various modifications of it with focus on practical applications in both industry and science are discussed. The general methodology is presented, as well as some well-known and also some less known modifications. It is demonstrated that the simple structure of the FCM algorithm allows for cluster analysis with non-typical and implicitly defined distance measures. Examples are residual distance for regression purposes, prediction sorting and penalised clustering criteria. Specialised applications of fuzzy clustering to be used for a sequential clustering strategy and for semi-supervised clustering are also discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.