Linear Quadtrees from Vector Representations of Polygons

A new algorithm is presented which produces various forms of linear quadtrees directly from a vector representation of a polygon. This algorithm takes advantage of specific properties of linear quadtrees and associated linear keys to infer the colors of all parts of the region not cut by the polygon boundary. The method is further extended to multicolored (rather than binary) linear quadtrees which may be useful in geographic information systems applications.