CG_OptimalAlphaShape
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Name

CG_OptimalAlphaShape — Computes an Alpha-shape enclosing a geometry using an "optimal" alpha value.

Synopsis

geometry CG_OptimalAlphaShape(geometry geom, boolean allow_holes = false, integer nb_components = 1);

Description

Computes the "optimal" alpha-shape of the points in a geometry. The alpha-shape is computed using a value of α chosen so that:

  1. the number of polygon elements is equal to or smaller than nb_components (which defaults to 1)

  2. all input points are contained in the shape

The result will not contain holes unless the optional allow_holes argument is specified as true.

Availability: 3.5.0 - requires SFCGAL >= 1.4.1.

This method needs SFCGAL backend.

Examples

The original point cloud and the optimal alpha-shape share one comparison frame.

Code
WITH data AS (
  SELECT 'MULTIPOINT((63 84),(76 88),(68 73),(53 18),(91 50),(81 70),
(88 29),(24 82),(32 51),(37 23),(27 54),(84 19),(75 87),(44 42),(77 67),(90 30),(36 61),(32 65),
(81 47),(88 58),(68 73),(49 95),(81 60),(87 50),
(78 16),(79 21),(30 22),(78 43),(26 85),(48 34),(35 35),(36 40),(31 79),(83 29),(27 84),(52 98),(72 95),(85 71),
(75 84),(75 77),(81 29),(77 73),(41 42),(83 72),(23 36),(89 53),(27 57),(57 97),(27 77),(39 88),(60 81),
(80 72),(54 32),(55 26),(62 22),(70 20),(76 27),(84 35),(87 42),(82 54),(83 64),(69 86),(60 90),(50 86),(43 80),(36 73),
(36 68),(40 75),(24 67),(23 60),(26 44),(28 33),(40 32),(43 19),(65 16),(73 16),(38 46),(31 59),(34 86),(45 90),(64 97))'::geometry AS input_points
)
SELECT input_points AS input_points,

         CG_OptimalAlphaShape(input_points) AS optimal_alpha_shape
FROM data;
Output
MULTIPOINT((63 84),(76 88),(68 73),(53 18),(91 50),(81 70),(88 29),(24 82),(32 51),(37 23),(27 54),(84 19),(75 87),(44 42),(77 67),(90 30),(36 61),(32 65),(81 47),(88 58),(68 73),(49 95),(81 60),(87 50),(78 16),(79 21),(30 22),(78 43),(26 85),(48 34),(35 35),(36 40),(31 79),(83 29),(27 84),(52 98),(72 95),(85 71),(75 84),(75 77),(81 29),(77 73),(41 42),(83 72),(23 36),(89 53),(27 57),(57 97),(27 77),(39 88),(60 81),(80 72),(54 32),(55 26),(62 22),(70 20),(76 27),(84 35),(87 42),(82 54),(83 64),(69 86),(60 90),(50 86),(43 80),(36 73),(36 68),(40 75),(24 67),(23 60),(26 44),(28 33),(40 32),(43 19),(65 16),(73 16),(38 46),(31 59),(34 86),(45 90),(64 97)) | MULTIPOLYGON(((89 53,88 58,83 64,85 71,83 72,75 77,75 84,76 88,72 95,64 97,57 97,52 98,49 95,45 90,39 88,34 86,26 85,24 82,27 77,24 67,23 60,27 54,26 44,23 36,28 33,30 22,37 23,43 19,53 18,65 16,73 16,78 16,84 19,88 29,90 30,87 42,91 50,89 53)))
Figure
Geometry figure for visual-cg-optimalalphashape-01

Allowing holes keeps the same outer shell but carves a central hole.

Code
WITH data AS (
  SELECT 'MULTIPOINT((63 84),(76 88),(68 73),(53 18),(91 50),(81 70),(88 29),(24 82),(32 51),(37 23),(27 54),(84 19),(75 87),(44 42),(77 67),(90 30),(36 61),(32 65),(81 47),(88 58),(68 73),(49 95),(81 60),(87 50),
(78 16),(79 21),(30 22),(78 43),(26 85),(48 34),(35 35),(36 40),(31 79),(83 29),(27 84),(52 98),(72 95),(85 71),
(75 84),(75 77),(81 29),(77 73),(41 42),(83 72),(23 36),(89 53),(27 57),(57 97),(27 77),(39 88),(60 81),
(80 72),(54 32),(55 26),(62 22),(70 20),(76 27),(84 35),(87 42),(82 54),(83 64),(69 86),(60 90),(50 86),(43 80),(36 73),
(36 68),(40 75),(24 67),(23 60),(26 44),(28 33),(40 32),(43 19),(65 16),(73 16),(38 46),(31 59),(34 86),(45 90),(64 97))'::geometry AS input_points
)
SELECT input_points AS input_points,

         CG_OptimalAlphaShape(input_points, allow_holes => true) AS optimal_alpha_shape
FROM data;
Output
MULTIPOINT((63 84),(76 88),(68 73),(53 18),(91 50),(81 70),(88 29),(24 82),(32 51),(37 23),(27 54),(84 19),(75 87),(44 42),(77 67),(90 30),(36 61),(32 65),(81 47),(88 58),(68 73),(49 95),(81 60),(87 50),(78 16),(79 21),(30 22),(78 43),(26 85),(48 34),(35 35),(36 40),(31 79),(83 29),(27 84),(52 98),(72 95),(85 71),(75 84),(75 77),(81 29),(77 73),(41 42),(83 72),(23 36),(89 53),(27 57),(57 97),(27 77),(39 88),(60 81),(80 72),(54 32),(55 26),(62 22),(70 20),(76 27),(84 35),(87 42),(82 54),(83 64),(69 86),(60 90),(50 86),(43 80),(36 73),(36 68),(40 75),(24 67),(23 60),(26 44),(28 33),(40 32),(43 19),(65 16),(73 16),(38 46),(31 59),(34 86),(45 90),(64 97)) | MULTIPOLYGON(((89 53,88 58,83 64,85 71,83 72,75 77,75 84,76 88,72 95,64 97,57 97,52 98,49 95,45 90,39 88,34 86,26 85,24 82,27 77,24 67,23 60,27 54,26 44,23 36,28 33,30 22,37 23,43 19,53 18,65 16,73 16,78 16,84 19,88 29,90 30,87 42,91 50,89 53),(36 68,40 75,43 80,50 86,60 81,68 73,77 67,81 60,82 54,81 47,78 43,81 29,76 27,70 20,62 22,55 26,54 32,48 34,44 42,38 46,36 61,36 68)))
Figure
Geometry figure for visual-cg-optimalalphashape-02