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Polygon sweeping with line of sight between covisible agents

Authors: Kien C. Huynh

Abstract

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Kien C. Huynh. Polygon sweeping with line of sight between covisible agents (Software, Source Code). Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@misc{coderepo,
   title = {{Polygon sweeping with line of sight between covisible agents}}, 
   author = {Huynh, Kien C.},
   note = {Software (visited on 2025-08-29)},
   url = {https://github.com/KienHuynh/polygon_sweeping},
   doi = {10.4230/artifacts.24586},
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.39

Sweeping a Domain with Line-Of-Sight Between Covisible Agents

Authors: Kien C. Huynh, Joseph S. B. Mitchell, and Valentin Polishchuk

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 349, 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)

Abstract

We consider sweeping a polygonal domain using variable-length segments whose endpoints can be considered to be mobile agents moving with bounded speeds; a point in the domain is swept when it belongs to one of the segments. The objective is to sweep the domain as quickly as possible. We show that the problem is NP-hard even in simple polygons and even for a single segment (two agents), and give constant-factor approximation algorithms, both for simple polygons and polygons with holes. Our approximations are obtained by introducing a new type of "window partition" of the polygon, which may find other applications. For domains with holes, our results are based on a non-trivial topological argument proving a surprising fact: a connected subset of the domain, whose points are swept but not directly touched by the agents, may contain at most one hole.

Cite as

Kien C. Huynh, Joseph S. B. Mitchell, and Valentin Polishchuk. Sweeping a Domain with Line-Of-Sight Between Covisible Agents. In 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 349, pp. 39:1-39:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{huynh_et_al:LIPIcs.WADS.2025.39,
  author =	{Huynh, Kien C. and Mitchell, Joseph S. B. and Polishchuk, Valentin},
  title =	{{Sweeping a Domain with Line-Of-Sight Between Covisible Agents}},
  booktitle =	{19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)},
  pages =	{39:1--39:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-398-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{349},
  editor =	{Morin, Pat and Oh, Eunjin},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.39},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-242706},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.39},
  annote =	{Keywords: Polygon sweeping, collaborating agents, motion coordination, makespan optimization}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.27

Optimizing Visibility-Based Search in Polygonal Domains

Authors: Kien C. Huynh, Joseph S. B. Mitchell, Linh Nguyen, and Valentin Polishchuk

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 294, 19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024)

Abstract

Given a geometric domain P, visibility-based search problems seek routes for one or more mobile agents ("watchmen") to move within P in order to be able to see a portion (or all) of P, while optimizing objectives, such as the length(s) of the route(s), the size (e.g., area or volume) of the portion seen, the probability of detecting a target distributed within P according to a prior distribution, etc. The classic watchman route problem seeks a shortest route for an observer, with omnidirectional vision, to see all of P. In this paper we study bicriteria optimization problems for a single mobile agent within a polygonal domain P in the plane, with the criteria of route length and area seen. Specifically, we address the problem of computing a minimum length route that sees at least a specified area of P (minimum length, for a given area quota). We also study the problem of computing a length-constrained route that sees as much area as possible. We provide hardness results and approximation algorithms. In particular, for a simple polygon P we provide the first fully polynomial-time approximation scheme for the problem of computing a shortest route seeing an area quota, as well as a (slightly more efficient) polynomial dual approximation. We also consider polygonal domains P (with holes) and the special case of a planar domain consisting of a union of lines. Our results yield the first approximation algorithms for computing a time-optimal search route in P to guarantee some specified probability of detection of a static target within P, randomly distributed in P according to a given prior distribution.

Cite as

Kien C. Huynh, Joseph S. B. Mitchell, Linh Nguyen, and Valentin Polishchuk. Optimizing Visibility-Based Search in Polygonal Domains. In 19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 294, pp. 27:1-27:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{huynh_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.27,
  author =	{Huynh, Kien C. and Mitchell, Joseph S. B. and Nguyen, Linh and Polishchuk, Valentin},
  title =	{{Optimizing Visibility-Based Search in Polygonal Domains}},
  booktitle =	{19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-318-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{294},
  editor =	{Bodlaender, Hans L.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-200671},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: Quota watchman route problem, budgeted watchman route problem, visibility-based search, approximation}
}

Search Results

Documents authored by Huynh, Kien C.

Polygon sweeping with line of sight between covisible agents

Abstract

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Sweeping a Domain with Line-Of-Sight Between Covisible Agents

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Optimizing Visibility-Based Search in Polygonal Domains

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