Surface Networks

Surface Network is a graph to model a terrain in which the vertices are the peaks, pits, and passes and the edges are ridges and channels. It was first proposed by John Pfaltz in the 1970s. He himself was motivated by earlier works in Physical Geography and Differential Topology. The fundamental requirement of a terrain to be represented as a surface network is that the terrain behaves as a Morse Function. In short, a 2D function is Morse function if the function is doubly continuous (i.e. no holes, overhangs) and {pits - passes + peaks = 2}. Physical georgraphers will realise that the two conditions are ill-posed. In addition, the model of surface network does not provide scope for several types of significant hydrological featurs. Nevertheless, the simplicity and intuitive nature (in contrast to TIN or raster, which are primarily data structures and "not models" of terrain) has attracted researchers to propose algorithms for the automated construction of surface networks. This aim of this webpage is to create a list of researchers, who have been working towards an algorithm. The list also includes the names of earliest researchers and also those involved in the field of 3D surface networks (known differently as Morse-Smale Complex) for computer graphics. Search on the web or citation databases to find out their work. I can not guarantee that the list is accurate and complete. Please let me know if you have information on researchers that should be added or other kind of information that outght to be included.

List of Surface Network Researchers, roughly in order of their first appearence in the literature and research groups:

• CS visualization researchers in US
• Vijay Natarajan
• Herbert Edelsbrunner
• CS visualization researchers in Europe
• Emmanual Danovaro
• Leila De Florani
• Silvia Biasotti
• Michela Spagnuolo
• Bianca Falcidieno
• Martin Kraus
• Thomas Ertl
• Computational Geometers in Europe
• Marc van Kreveld
• Rene van Oostrum
• CS visualization researchers in University of Tokyo
• Shigeo Takahashi
• CS visualization researchers in USA
• Valerio Pascucci
• Dan Schikore
• Chandrajit Bajaj
• John Hart
(?)
• Geographers in University of Tokyo
• Atsushi Masuyama
• Yukio Sadahiro
• Atsuyuki Okabe
• Geographers in Europe
• Bernhard Schneider
• Jason Dykes
• Jeremy Morley
• Sanjay Rana
• Jo Wood
• Other application of surface networks in Europe
• Paul Scott
• Geographers in USA
• David Mark ()
• William Warntz ()
• Beignings of Surface Networks
• John Pfaltz ()
• Marton Morse ()
• Arthur Cayley ()
• James Maxwell ()
• Georges Reeb ()

At the risk of sounding as a salesman, I recommend the book on Topological Data Structures for Surface which I edited. The book is sort of an epilogue on some of the key works in surface network, contour trees, and reeb graphs.