An examination of techniques for reformatting digital cartographic data/part 1: The raster-to- vector process.

Abstract

Current graphic devices suitable for high-speed computer input and output of cartographic data are tending more and more to be raster-oriented, such as the rotating drum scanner and the color raster display. However, the majority of commonly used manipulative techniques in computer-assisted cartography and automated spatial data handling continue to require that the data be in vector format. This situation has recently precipitated the requirement for very fast techniques for converting digital cartographic data from raster to vector format for processing, and then back into raster format for plotting. The current article is part one of a two-part paper concerned with examining the state-of-the-art in these conversion techniques. In part one, algorithms to perform all phases of the raster-to-vector process are systematically outlined, and then compared in general terms. Examples of existing implementations of the raster-to-vector process are also described and evaluated. Part two will outline and compare algorithms to perform the reverse process, vector-to-raster conversion. Part two will also discuss raster-to-vector and vector-to-raster conversion as an integrated process.