Offsetting spherical curves in vector and raster form

Abstract

In this paper, we present techniques for offsetting spherical curves represented in vector or raster form. Such techniques allow us to efficiently determine and visualize the region within a given distance of a spherical curve. Our methods additionally support multiresolution representations of the underlying data, allowing the initial coarse offsets to be provided quickly, which may then be iteratively refined to the correct result. An example application of offsetting is also specifically explored in the form of improving the performance of inside/outside tests in the vector case.