Triangulation in geoscience

•Motivation
•History
•Delaunay triangulation
•Voronoi diagrams
•Algorithms in 2D
•IGMAS „semi“-3D
•TINs and Higher Order DT
•3D Triangulations
•References
Motivation for triangulations

•Generation of surfaces from irregular point sets

•Networks and space relations
•Interpolation
•Computer graphics
•Modelling of data (e.g. IGMAS)
•Molecule physics / Cristallography

Curso Caracas, 2006

 Definition of „Triangulation“

The triangulation T of the point set

S consist of the maximum amount
of not crossing lines connecting two
points p of S with each other.

This leads directly to a mesh of

triangles.

Often it is desirable to maximize

the smallest occuring angle in the
triangles of T – the triangles shall
be “well shaped”!

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History
•Star map of (Descartes 1644)
•Dirichlet (2D & 3D) (1850)
•Voronoi (Rm) (1907,1908,1909)
•Delone (frz: Delaunay) “empty sphere” (1924,1928,1929,1932,1934)
•Snow (1855)
•Boldyrev Boreholes (1909)
•Wiegner & Seitz Chemistry (1933)
•Shannon Maximum Likelyhood decoding (1959)
•Hoofd Medicine “capillary domains” (1985)
•Icke Astronomy (1987)
•Severel further ones in 1994, 1995, 1997 etc. ... … …
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First known application (1855)
Though they were reluctant to
A sophisticated
believe “network
him, they agreed to remove
theVoronoi-area
pump handlediagram”,
as an
rediscovered
experiment. When150they
years
didlater
so, the
again!
spread of cholera dramatically
stopped.

from http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~dk708/pg1_1.htm
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Good and bad triangulation
Planless triangulation: Very long Here: “as equilateral as possible”
triangles with small angles exist. or “maximize smallest angle”.

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Delaunay triangulation

Construction of the circle

through all three points of an Delauney criteria test in a small
triangle. In Zero Order triangulation. Voronoi cell in red.
Delauney it must not contain Curso Caracas, 2006
further points!
Voronoi diagrams
Construction of the first Voronoi Further Voronoi edges forming
cell around point 7. further cells successively.

Real Voronoi
experts! Curso Caracas, 2006
 Voronoi diagrams vs. Delaunay
triangulation?
They are so called dual graphs in
mathmatical graph theory. That means:
Both hold the same information content!

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Algorithms in 2D #1
1) 2)

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Algorithms in 2D #2
1) 2) 3)

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Algorithms in 2D #3

a) b) c)

VoroGlide (Source: Praktische Informatik VI, FernUniversität Hagen)

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Triangulation and Isolines
First we construct the Delaunay
Triangulation and afterwards the
isolines shown as red lines in the
pictures.

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IGMAS „semi“-3D
In IGMAS the triangulation is carried out exclusively between
parellel planes, on which structures are modeled by polygons under
„minimal area“ condition“.

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IGMAS - triangulation „trap“

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Triangulated Irregular Network

Direct triangulation between Delauney triangulation, here

the points defining the isolines with a smoothness effect!

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Higher Order Delaunay Triangulation

Triangulated valley with a river

The solution is a
constrained “Heigher
river
The dam is cutting Order Delaunay”-
the river line. Why Triangulation (HOD).
does this happen? Curso Caracas, 2006
Triangulation in 3D space

Crystall structure and Wigner-Seitz-Cell of bcc and fcc lattice.

Source: PhysNet Uni Hamburg
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Triangulation in 3D space

Calculated valence
“Buckyball” – a C60
electron density of a silicon
Fullerene Macromolecule.
nanocrystal. Source: Zack Source: Rayshade, Carnegie
Helms, NCSA Mellone SCS
Wigner-Seitz-Cell of bcc and fcc lattice.
Source: PhysNet Uni Hamburg
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References
1. Okabe, Boots, Sugihara, Chiu: Spatial Tessellations, concepts and
applications of Voronoi diagrams, 2nd Ed., 1998, JOHN WILEY &
SONS, LTD, Chichester, GB (ISBN: 0-471-98635-6)
2. Gudmudsson: Geometric Decompositions and Networks,
Approximation Bunds and Algorithms, 2000, Lund University,
Sweden (ISBN: 91-7874-098-3)
3. Shewchuk: Triangle: Engeneering a 2D Quality Mesh Generator and
Delaunay Triangulator, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
4. Cignoni, Montani, Scopigno: DeWall: A Fast Divide & Conguer
Delaunay Triangulation Algorithm in Ed, 1997, Pisa, Italy
5. Barrio, Gangui, Götze, Schmidt, Viramonte, Omarini: Curso de
postgrado: Aplicaciones de la Computación Gráfica en Geología y
Geofísica, 1992, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Argentinia

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