Color categories revealed by non-negative matrix factorization of Munsell color spectra.

Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF, Nature 401 (1999) 788-791) is a method to derive non-negative basis functions for sets of data that are inherently non-negative, such as color spectra. We applied NMF to Munsell color spectra and investigated the color names associated with the non-negative basis functions. NMF yields basis functions compatible with established color naming categories.