Consistent Spatial Clustering of Complex Objects via Bregman Geometry

2026-10-03

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge of specifying parametric likelihoods in spatial clustering of complex objects by proposing a Bayesian nonparametric framework grounded in Bregman geometry. Methodologically, it constructs a generalized likelihood combined with conjugate and spanning tree priors to infer spatially contiguous clusters. The approach accommodates diverse complex responses without requiring prespecified sampling models, and derives exact marginalization alongside efficient MCMC algorithms. Theoretically, posterior consistency is established for the proposed framework. Experimental results demonstrate that the method accurately recovers latent clustering structures, while an analysis of Houston demographic data further validates its advantages in preserving geographical coherence.

Abstract

Spatial clustering increasingly involves complex objects, including probability distributions, networks, and structured matrices, for which conventional parametric likelihoods may be difficult to specify. We construct a generalized likelihood by exponentiating a cluster-specific Bregman loss on fixed representations of the responses, avoiding the need to specify a parametric sampling model for each response class. Each cluster is associated with an unknown representative, and the generalized likelihood measures within-cluster homogeneity through the Bregman divergence between the represented observations and that representative. A prior family matched to the Bregman geometry yields conjugate generalized posterior updates and permits exact marginalization of the cluster-specific representatives. The resulting collapsed scores combine within-cluster Bregman dispersion with uncertainty in the representatives, while a spanning-tree partition prior restricts posterior partition support to spatially contiguous clusters. This collapsed representation also leads to a tractable MCMC algorithm for posterior computation. The framework accommodates multiple complex-object response classes within a common inferential construction. We establish posterior consistency for the spatial partition and cluster-specific representatives under infill-domain asymptotics. Simulation studies with different complex-object responses demonstrate accurate recovery of spatial partitions and cluster-specific representatives. We further analyze racial-composition distributions across spatial units in Houston, illustrating geographically coherent clusters with distinct demographic compositions.

Problem

• spatial clustering
• complex objects
• Bregman divergence
• posterior consistency
• generalized likelihood

Innovation

• Bregman divergence
• spatial clustering
• complex objects
• collapsed MCMC
• posterior consistency