A smart algorithm for column chart labeling

Abstract

This paper presents a smart algorithm for labeling column charts and their derivatives. To efficiently solve the problem, we separate it into two sub-problems. We first present a geometric algorithm to solve the problem of finding a good labeling for the labels of a single column, given that some other columns have already been labeled. We then present a strategy for finding a good order in which columns should be labeled, which repeatedly uses the first algorithm for some limited look-ahead. The presented algorithm is being used in a commercial product to label charts, and has shown in practice to produce satisfactory results. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.