The application of the coalescence clustering algorithm to remotely sensed multispectral data

The coalescence clustering concept of Watanabe has been implemented for the purpose of unsupervised classification of remotely sensed multispectral data. Modifications on the original algorithm were made to enable clustering of limited range discrete data. Application to simulated overlapping Gaussian distributions show that optimal separation of boundaries is achieved at almost every point. Clustering of real data from LANDSAT satellites also yields very meaningful results. Significance of the range parameter and computer requirements are also discussed.