AI Navigate

Unbalanced Optimal Transport Dictionary Learning for Unsupervised Hyperspectral Image Clustering

arXiv cs.CV / 3/12/2026

📰 NewsIdeas & Deep AnalysisModels & Research

Key Points

  • The paper proposes using unbalanced Wasserstein barycenters to learn a lower-dimensional representation for unsupervised hyperspectral image clustering, addressing robustness and class-balancing limitations of prior Wasserstein dictionary-learning approaches.
  • It shows that unbalanced OT reduces the tendency to blur classes that arises from balancing spectral profiles and improves robustness to outliers and noise.
  • By applying spectral clustering on the learned representation, the method yields effective unsupervised labeling and segmentation of hyperspectral scenes.
  • This work advances unsupervised hyperspectral analysis and has potential implications for remote sensing and automated image segmentation tasks.

Abstract

Hyperspectral images capture vast amounts of high-dimensional spectral information about a scene, making labeling an intensive task that is resistant to out-of-the-box statistical methods. Unsupervised learning of clusters allows for automated segmentation of the scene, enabling a more rapid understanding of the image. Partitioning the spectral information contained within the data via dictionary learning in Wasserstein space has proven an effective method for unsupervised clustering. However, this approach requires balancing the spectral profiles of the data, blurring the classes, and sacrificing robustness to outliers and noise. In this paper, we suggest improving this approach by utilizing unbalanced Wasserstein barycenters to learn a lower-dimensional representation of the underlying data. The deployment of spectral clustering on the learned representation results in an effective approach for the unsupervised learning of labels.