In today's world, Constrained clustering is a highly relevant issue that impacts society in different aspects. For decades, Constrained clustering has been the object of study and interest by experts, researchers and professionals in different areas. Its influence ranges from economics to politics, including culture and the environment. In this article, we will explore in detail the different aspects related to Constrained clustering, analyzing its importance, its implications and the possible future scenarios that its development may entail. From its origins to the present, Constrained clustering has given rise to endless debates and reflections that have contributed to enriching knowledge about this phenomenon.
In computer science, constrained clustering is a class of semi-supervised learning algorithms. Typically, constrained clustering incorporates either a set of must-link constraints, cannot-link constraints, or both, with a data clustering algorithm.[1] A cluster in which the members conform to all must-link and cannot-link constraints is called a chunklet.
Both a must-link and a cannot-link constraint define a relationship between two data instances. Together, the sets of these constraints act as a guide for which a constrained clustering algorithm will attempt to find chunklets (clusters in the dataset which satisfy the specified constraints).
Some constrained clustering algorithms will abort if no such clustering exists which satisfies the specified constraints. Others will try to minimize the amount of constraint violation should it be impossible to find a clustering which satisfies the constraints. Constraints could also be used to guide the selection of a clustering model among several possible solutions.[2]
Examples of constrained clustering algorithms include: