Elastic neural net algorithm for cluster analysis

Proposes a method for data clustering in a n-dimensional space using the elastic net algorithm which is a variant of the Kohonen topographic map learning algorithm. The elastic net algorithm is a mechanical metaphor in which an elastic ring is attracted by points in a bi-dimensional space while their internal elastic forces try to shun the elastic expansion. The different weights associated with these two kinds of forces lead the elastic to a gradual expansion in the direction of the bi-dimensional points. In this method, the elastic net algorithm is employed with the help of a heuristic framework that improves its performance for application in the n-dimensional space of cluster analysis. Tests were made with two types of data sets: (1) simulated data sets with up to 1000 points randomly generated in groups linearly separable with up to dimension 10 and (2) the Fisher Iris Plant database, a well-known database referred to in the pattern recognition literature. The advantages of the method presented are its simplicity, its fast and stable convergence, beyond efficiency in cluster analysis.