Voronoi diagrams, quasi-triangulations, and beta-complexes for disks in R2: the theory and implementation in BetaConcept

Abstract

Voronoi diagrams are powerful for solving spatial problems among particles and have been used in many disciplines of science and engineering. In particular, the Voronoi diagram of three-dimensional spheres, also called the additively-weighted Voronoi diagram, has proven its powerful capabilities for solving the spatial reasoning problems for the arrangement of atoms in both molecular biology and material sciences. In order to solve application problems, the dual structure, called the quasi-triangulation, and its derivative structure, called the beta-complex, are frequently used with the Voronoi diagram itself. However, the Voronoi diagram, the quasi-triangulation, and the beta-complexes are sometimes regarded as somewhat difficult for ordinary users to understand. This paper presents the twodimensional counterparts of their definitions and introduce the BetaConcept program which implements the theory so that users can easily learn the powerful concept and capabilities of these constructs in a plane. The BetaConcept program was implemented in the standard C++ language with MFC and OpenGL and freely available at Voronoi Diagram Research Center (http://voronoi.hanyang.ac.kr).