Bayesian unsupervised classification framework based on stochastic partitions of data and a parallel search strategy

Advantages of statistical model-based unsupervised classification over heuristic alternatives have been widely demonstrated in the scientific literature. However, the existing model-based approaches are often both conceptually and numerically instable for large and complex data sets. Here we consider a Bayesian model-based method for unsupervised classification of discrete valued vectors, that has certain advantages over standard solutions based on latent class models. Our theoretical formulation defines a posterior probability measure on the space of classification solutions corresponding to stochastic partitions of observed data. To efficiently explore the classification space we use a parallel search strategy based on non-reversible stochastic processes. A decision-theoretic approach is utilized to formalize the inferential process in the context of unsupervised classification. Both real and simulated data sets are used for the illustration of the discussed methods. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.