A method for the detection and description of changes of clusters in snapshots of a vector field

Many applications in GI-science deal with large vector fields. A current challenge is therefore to provide effective methods to handle them in such a way that they are easy to analyze, interpret and compare. In Nuhn et al. (2010) an extended version of the single linkage clustering algorithm (Sneath, 1957) is proposed for the processing of vector fields in landslide applications. While clustering of vector fields provides important information for the analysis and the interpretation, the changes in the clusters in different vector fields over time are often even more meaningful in many applications. In this paper some preliminary work on methods for detecting and describing changes in clusters in different snapshots of a 2D vector field is presented. The applicability of the developed method is demonstrated using vector fields of a Finite Element slope stability simulation.