Abstract
We present the first constant-factor approximation algorithm for a nontrivial instance of the optimal guarding (coverage) problem in polygons. In particular, we give an O(1)-approximation algorithm for placing the fewest point guards on a 1.5D terrain, so that every point of the terrain is seen by at least one guard. While polylogarithmic-factor approximations follow from set cover results, our new results exploit the geometrie structure of terrains to obtain a substantially improved approximation algorithm.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1631-1647 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | SIAM Journal on Computing |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Dec 2007 |
Keywords
- Approximation algorithms
- Geometric optimization
- Guarding
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Computer Science
- General Mathematics