inb300campbe@qut.edu.au (12/13/90)
Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of labels on a objects in a graphical image? What I'm really after are some techniques of placing labels on a visual object keeping in mind that the label must not overlap other text or other visual objects with greater priority, and a method of placing text inside an object in such a way that it is central. The label inside the object must be placed in the centre of the largest possible box inside the object proportional to the dimensions of the text. Thanks (Please post, don't mail if possible) inb300campbe@redgum.qut.edu.au
pschwart@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Paul Schwartz) (12/13/90)
In article <1990Dec13.085649.21670@qut.edu.au>, inb300campbe@qut.edu.au writes... >Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of >labels on a objects in a graphical image? > >What I'm really after are some techniques of placing labels >on a visual object keeping in mind that the label must not >overlap other text or other visual objects with greater >priority, and a method of placing text inside an object >in such a way that it is central. >The label inside the object must be placed in the centre of the >largest possible box inside the object proportional to the >dimensions of the text. > If you discover a technique please let the world of cartography know, we've been trying for a couple of years now. - Z - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | PauL M SchwartZ | | | PSCHWART@macc.wisc.edu | Your message here... | | PSCHWART@wiscmacc.BitNet | only 5$ per post | | (608)255-5702 | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu (Wm Randolph Franklin) (12/15/90)
In article <1990Dec13.085649.21670@qut.edu.au> inb300campbe@qut.edu.au writes: >Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of >labels on a objects in a graphical image? This has been an active research area for several years. The earliest work I know of is John Ahn here at RPI, who was PhD'ed under Herb Freeman, who is now at Rutgers. There have been other papers in the cartographic conferences. Anyone current in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) or cartography should know of them. Here is the RPI online library record for Ahn's thesis: BY: Ahn, John K. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mathematics Department. TITLE: Automatic map name placement system. CALL NO: THESIS 1984 MATERIAL: THESIS DESCRIPTION: 87 p. NOTES: UMI abstract number 84-26,504 Doctor's - May, 1984 -- Wm. Randolph Franklin Internet: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (or @cs.rpi.edu) Bitnet: Wrfrankl@Rpitsmts Telephone: (518) 276-6077; Telex: 6716050 RPI TROU; Fax: (518) 276-6261 Paper: ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180
ken@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ken Yap) (12/17/90)
>>Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of >>labels on a objects in a graphical image? >> >>What I'm really after are some techniques of placing labels >>on a visual object keeping in mind that the label must not >>overlap other text or other visual objects with greater >>priority, and a method of placing text inside an object >>in such a way that it is central. >>The label inside the object must be placed in the centre of the >>largest possible box inside the object proportional to the >>dimensions of the text. >> > > If you discover a technique please let the world of cartography know, we've >been trying for a couple of years now. As an interesting sidelight, a friend of mine told me that city map publishers (local ones at least) write in the road names by hand on the master sheet. Reasons: too many exceptional conditions, have to track road curves, abbreviate where necessary, etc. If you discover heuristics to do most (say 99%) of the work by machine, leaving the tough ones for draughtspeople, I'm sure map publishers will beat a path to your door.
flynn@shillelagh.cse.nd.edu (Patrick J. Flynn) (12/17/90)
In article <1990Dec17.034814.2171@csis.dit.csiro.au>, ken@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ken Yap) writes: >>>Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of >>>labels on a objects in a graphical image? >> >> If you discover a technique please let the world of cartography know, we've >>been trying for a couple of years now. Check out the 12/89 issue of IEEE Computer. An article by Kasturi, Fernandez, Amlani, and Feng discusses automated name placement (among many other topics). They cite a paper by Herb Freeman and J. Ahn entitled `On the problem of placing names in a geographic map', which appeared in the Int. J. of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence vol. 1, no. 1, Apr 1987. Kasturi came to Michigan State to give a talk about a year ago, and I remember him discussing the name-placement problem at that time. -- Patrick J. Flynn, CompSci&Eng'g, UnivNotreDame, flynn@cse.nd.edu
george@adimail.UUCP (George Pearson) (12/18/90)
Though I haven't used it myself, a possibly useful article (with numerous references) is "Cartographic Name Placement with Prolog" by Christopher B. Jones. It appears in the Sept. 1989 issue of IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.
duncan@rti.rti.org (Stephen Duncan) (12/18/90)
In article <1990Dec17.034814.2171@csis.dit.csiro.au> ken@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ken Yap) writes: >>>Has anybody had any experience with the automatic positioning of >>>labels on a objects in a graphical image? >>> >> If you discover a technique please let the world of cartography know [...] > >[...] publishers [...] write in the road names by hand on the >master sheet. Reasons: too many exceptional conditions, [...] Check out "Cartographic Name Placement with Prolog", Christopher Jones, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Sept. 1989. From the abstract "... The logic programming language Prolog can be used to express the name-placement problem as a set of rules, referring primarily to the identification of free space, the generateion of trial label positions, and the resolution of conflict between these positions. ...". Steve Duncan duncan@rti.rti.org