What is the best way to test a clustering algorithm? I am using an agglomerative clustering algorithm with a stop criterion. How do I test if the clusters are formed correctly or not?
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What is the best way to test a clustering algorithm? I am using an agglomerative clustering algorithm with a stop criterion. How do I test if the clusters are formed correctly or not?
It depends on what you want to test against.
When testing your own implementation of a known algorithm, you might want to compare the results with that of a known good implementation.
Hierarchical clustering is hard to test with respect to quality, as it is hierarchical. The common measures such as Rand index etc. are only valid for strict partitionings. You can get a strict partitioning from a hierarchical clustering, but then you need to fix the height to cut at.