What is the Kelley criterion in Canvas Hierarchical Clustering ?

The Kelley index is a criterion to select an optimal number of clusters. The Kelley measure balances the normalized "spread" of the clusters at a particular level with the number of clusters at that level.

The clustering level with the lowest penalty represents a state where the clusters are as highly populated as possible, while simultaneously maintaining the smallest spread. The smaller the spread of the clusters, the more similar are the conformations of its members; the greater the population of a cluster, the smaller is the chance of excluding a member of similar conformation.

Keywords: Cluster, spread, Canvas, similarity

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