A novel approach to polygonal approximation of digital curves

A new approach to polygonal approximation is presented in this paper. It starts from an initial set of dominant points (break points), where the integral square error from a given shape is zero. The proposed algorithm iteratively deletes most redundant dominant points till required approximation is achieved. Stabilization algorithm after elimination of each dominant point ensures high quality of approximation. Results of proposed algorithm are compared with classical algorithms. The proposed algorithm has additional benefits like polygonal approximation with any number of dominant points and up to any error value and robustness of results. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.