The lettering process, including assigning names to point features, is an essential part of map production. While there have been numerous and varied research efforts to automate point-feature label placement (PFLP), none of them seems to have taken into account the many well-established cartographic precepts for point-feature annotation used by human cartographers. As a result, current fully automated solutions are limited in their expressive power. The PFLP problem is still vital, therefore, and solving it is a compelling challenge in cartography. A recently published article by Rylov and Reimer presents a comprehensive multi-criterion model that complies with almost all well-defined cartographic placement principles and requirements for PFLP, allowing for a significant increase in toponym density without affecting legibility. The proposed model, expressed as a quality-evaluation function, can be used by any mathematical optimization algorithm to resolve the automated label-placement problem. Through an application of the proposed model tested on volunteered geographic (VGI) data (OpenStreetMap) and the creation of sample parameter settings, the article illustrates that a high level of cartographic quality for PFLP can be achieved through the integrated approach, comparable to the lettering produced by an expert cartographer.
Results are implemented in the mapping platform OpenMapSurfer.uni-hd.de offering a interactive global online map of high cartographic quality based on OpenStreetmap data.
Moreover, the foregoing model is implemented in the framework for rendering and publishing geospatial data to the web. It is written in C# and called MapSurfer.NET. More information, including the list of supported features, binaries, sample projects and SDK examples you can find on the following page.
