Evaluation of Hierarchical Clustering via Markov Decision Processes for Efficient Navigation and Search

In this paper, we propose a new evaluation measure to assessthe quality of a hierarchy in supporting search queries to content collections.The evaluation measure models the scenario of a searcher seeking a particular target item in the hierarchy. It takes into account the structureof the hierarchy by measuring the cognitive challenge of determiningthe correct path in the hierarchy as well as the reduction in search timeaorded by hierarchy. The goal is to propose a general-purpose measurethat can be applied in dierent application contexts, allowing dierenthierarchical arrangements of content to be quantitatively assessed