An algorithm to reduce a river network or other graph-like polygon to a set of lines
| Autor: | E. I. Schaefer, Jon D. Pelletier |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Computer science
0208 environmental biotechnology 02 engineering and technology computer.file_format Sinuosity 010502 geochemistry & geophysics 01 natural sciences Graph 020801 environmental engineering Test case River network Polygon Computers in Earth Sciences Raster graphics Spurious relationship computer Algorithm Sampling interval 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Information Systems |
| Zdroj: | Computers & Geosciences. 145:104554 |
| ISSN: | 0098-3004 |
| Popis: | In many geomorphic applications, it is necessary to reduce a polygon to a set of axial lines. For example, consider a fluvial channel network. On the one hand, this network has a polygonal footprint with reaches of finite width organized into a branching network. On the other hand, measuring the length or sinuosity of these reaches, as examples, requires the reduction of their polygonal footprints to axial lines. Here we present a new algorithm that can objectively reduce a polygon to such a set of axial lines, formally called a skeleton. Across four illustrative test cases, we show that this vector-based algorithm has some advantages over three raster-based algorithms in current geomorphic use because it generates smooth, continuous, well-centered skeletons and supports a useful scale-independent metric for the removal of spurious portions. Skeletons in this algorithm are uniquely constructed using a minimum of two parameters: a sampling interval (similar to a resolution) and a numeric pruning criterion (which determines skeleton complexity). We have implemented the algorithm as a freely available, open-source, GIS-ready Python code package without commercial dependency. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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