Assigning footprints to dot sets: An analytical survey

Abstract

While the generation of a shape, or footprint, from a set of points has been widely investigated, there has been no systematic overview of the field, with the result that there is no principled basis for comparing the methods used or selecting the best method for a particular application. In this paper we present a systematic classification of footprints, algorithms used for their generation, and the types of applications they can be used for. These classifications can be used to evaluate the suitability of different algorithms for different applications. With each algorithm is associated a vector of nine values classifying the footprints it can produce against a standard list of criteria, and a similar vector is associated with each application type to classify the footprints it requires. A discussion of, and a method for, the assessment of the suitability of an algorithm for an application is presented. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.