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ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS AND FUZZY CLUSTERING
Author(s) -
BAXTER M. J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00449.x
Subject(s) - exploit , cluster analysis , computer science , fuzzy logic , data mining , fuzzy clustering , cluster (spacecraft) , archaeology , artificial intelligence , geography , computer security , programming language
Cluster analysis is widely used in archaeological data analysis. Fuzzy clustering is a more modern technique than methods normally used by archaeologists and has not been much exploited. Applications that have been reported are sometimes unsatisfactory and usually do not exploit the ‘fuzziness’ of the procedure. After a brief review of the more common methods of cluster analysis, fuzzy ideas and fuzzy clustering are discussed. The method is applied to three data sets of different sizes and complexity, to illustrate particular aspects of, and problems in, application. Summarizing results is less easy than for more standard methods, but has the potential to reveal features of the data concealed by other methods.