| Abstract: | Abstracttitle/>Patterns consisting of point symbols are commonly applied to symbolize land cover. Tree symbols, for example, indicate forested areas; small irregular dots show quarries and pits; or regular line symbols represent a vineyard. This paper presents an automatic method for synthesizing patterns consisting of one or more point symbols. Symbols of varying sizes or graphical appearance can be combined according to user-defined ratios. The automatic method generates patterns of regularly or irregularly distributed symbols. It ensures that symbols do not overlap and do not graphically conflict with other map features. The method has been implemented in a free plug-in for the Adobe Illustrator vector graphics editor. |
