
15.3. SOLVING THE LABELING PROBLEM 499
If two label positions overlap then th ey belon g to the same group. If a label position is
free of overlaps then it belongs to a single member group.
The size of the initial set of label positions must be kept r eas onably small since it affects
the performance of any labelin g algorithm. The above method of defining a s e t of potential
label positions is very practical and effective because it partitions the solution space and
identifies the areas of the drawing where conflicts of labe l assignment may occur. In addition,
it significantly reduces the search space for potential conflicts (overlaps).