Given a set @math of @math points in the plane, we solve the problems of constructing a geometric planar graph spanning @math 1) of minimum degree 2, and 2) which is 2-edge connected, respectively, and has max edge length bounded by a factor of 2 times the optimal; we also show that the factor 2 is best possible given appropriate connectivity conditions on the set @math , respectively. First, we construct in @math time a geometric planar graph of minimum degree 2 and max edge length bounded by 2 times the optimal. This is then used to construct in @math time a 2-edge connected geometric planar graph spanning @math with max edge length bounded by @math times the optimal, assuming that the set @math forms a connected Unit Disk Graph. Second, we prove that 2 times the optimal is always sufficient if the set of points forms a 2 edge connected Unit Disk Graph and give an algorithm that runs in @math time. We also show that for @math , there exists a set @math of @math points in the plane such that even though the Unit Disk Graph spanning @math is @math -vertex connected, there is no 2-edge connected geometric planar graph spanning @math even if the length of its edges is allowed to be up to 17 16.
Closely related is the research by @cite_10 which shows that if @math is connected then @math has a 2-edge connected geometric planar spanning subgraph. The construction starts from a minimum spanning tree of @math which in turn is augmented to a 2-edge connected geometric planar spanning subgraph of @math . In the same paper several other constructions are given (starting from more general connected planar subgraphs) and also bounds are given on the minimum number of augmented edges required. However, the question of providing an algorithm for constructing the smallest @math such that @math has a 2-edge connected geometric planar spanning subgraph remained open. This question turns out to be the main focus of our current study.
@cite_10
2008562682
2-Edge connectivity is an important fault tolerance property of a network because it maintains network communication despite the deletion of a single arbitrary edge. Planar spanning subgraphs have been shown to play a significant role for achieving local decentralized routing in wireless networks. Existing algorithmic constructions of spanning planar subgraphs of unit disk graphs (UDGs) such as Minimum Spanning Tree, Gabriel Graph, Nearest Neighborhood Graph, etc. do not always ensure connectivity of the resulting graph under single edge deletion. Furthermore, adding edges to the network so as to improve its edge connectivity not only may create edge crossings (at points which are not vertices) but it may also require edges of unbounded length. Thus we are faced with the problem of constructing 2-edge connected geometric planar spanning graphs by adding edges of bounded length without creating edge crossings (at points which are not vertices). To overcome this difficulty, in this paper we address the problem of augmenting the edge set (i.e., adding new edges) of planar geometric graphs with straight line edges of bounded length so that the resulting graph is planar and 2-edge connected. We provide bounds on the number of newly added straight-line edges, prove that such edges can be of length at most 3 times the max length of an edge of the original graph, and also show that the factor 3 is optimal. It is shown to be NP-Complete to augment a geometric planar graph to a 2-edge connected geometric planar graph with the minimum number of new edges of a given bounded length. We also provide a constant time algorithm that works in location-aware settings to augment a planar graph into a 2-ed