A Note on Minimal Length Polygonal Approximation to a Digitized Contour
A method for extracting a smooth polygonal
contour from a digitized image is illustrated.
The ordered sequence of contour points and the connection graph of
the image are first obtained by a modified Ledley algorithm in one
image scan.  A minimal perimeter polygon subjected to specified constraints
is then chosen as the approximating contour.  The determination of the minimal 
polygon can be reduced to a nonlinear programming
problem, solved by an algorithm which takes into account
the weak bonds between variables.  Some examples are presented,
and the corresponding computing times are listed.
CACM January, 1970
Montanari, U.
