A Comprehensive Multi-criteria Model for High Cartographic Quality Point-Feature Label Placement

Abstract

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. This article 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 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.