A Heuristic Solution to the Spacing Problem: Maximizing the Minimum Euclidean Distance Among N Points in a Convex Region.
Abstract
This thesis introduces a new method for solving the problem of optimally spacing points in a three-dimensional region so that their distances from each other are as great as possible. One application of the problem deals with color selection for aircraft displays where the colors are plotted as points in a three-dimensional color space and the distance between two points is directly related to the distinguishability of the two colors. The method itself is a heuristic algorithm very similar to one designed by Carter and Carter. The newer algorithm apparently yields similar solutions with fewer runs, but because it is more thorough, it is slower. The program was tested on problems as large as 23 points whose feasible region had seven faces. The major disadvantage of this new method is that its solutions are not guaranteed to be optimal. As a result, the user must perform several replications of various randomly selected starting locations in order to increase the chances of achieving an optimal solution. Additional keywords: Fortran, and Computer program documentation. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA152116
Entities
People
- R. E. Roley
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology