1. A computer-implemented method for determining strain characteristics in a vicinity of a point of interest w={x w , y w } T two parametric dimensions embedded in a two or three dimensional space for a deformable domain having a plurality of features which may be represented as a node pattern of n nodes, the method comprising: receiving a first image of a plurality of features and representing the plurality of features by nodes i,j in the domain in an un-deformed configuration; receiving a second image of the plurality of features represented by nodes if in the domain in a deformed configuration; measuring elongations e i,j between a plurality of node combinations in the vicinity of w to produce e w ={e 21 , e 31 ,. .. ei 32 , e 42. .. , e n(n-1) } T ; and applying a spatial moving least squares approximation to the elongations e i,j to approximate strain ε h for the vicinity.