An algorithm for scalable clustering: Ensemble Rapid Centroid Estimation

This paper describes a new algorithm, called Ensemble Rapid Centroid Estimation (ERCE), designed to handle large-scale non-convex cluster optimization tasks, and estimate the number of clusters with quasi-linear complexity. ERCE stems from a recently developed Rapid Centroid Estimation (RCE) algorithm. RCE was originally developed as a lightweight simplification of the Particle Swarm Clustering (PSC) algorithm. RCE retained the quality of PSC, greatly reduced the computational complexity, and increased the stability. However, RCE has certain limitations with respect to complexity, and is unsuitable for non-convex clusters. The new ERCE algorithm presented here addresses these limitations.