Glossary /  
K-Means

K-Means

Category:
Data Science Concept
Level:
Advanced

K-Means is a popular clustering algorithm in data science that aims to partition n observations into k clusters based on their similarity. The algorithm works by finding k centroids, where each centroid represents the center of a cluster. It then assigns each observation to the nearest centroid, creating a cluster. The algorithm iteratively moves the centroids to minimize the distance between the observations and their assigned centroid. This process continues until the centroids no longer move, or a maximum number of iterations is reached.

Key Highlights

  • K-Means is a type of unsupervised learning algorithm used to identify patterns in data.
  • K-Means is easy to implement and is one of the most commonly used clustering algorithms in data science.
  • The algorithm can be used for a wide range of applications, including image segmentation, customer segmentation, and anomaly detection.

References

Business Application

K-Means can be useful for businesses that want to segment their customers based on their behavior or preferences. For example, a retail company can use K-Means to group customers based on their purchase history, demographic data, or online behavior. The company can then target each group with specific marketing strategies, such as personalized offers or discounts, to increase customer engagement and loyalty. K-Means can also be used for fraud detection, identifying anomalies in financial transactions or insurance claims. By clustering the data, businesses can quickly identify unusual patterns and take action to prevent fraud. Overall, K-Means is a valuable tool for businesses looking to gain insights from their data and make data-driven decisions.