  Contour polygonal approximation is a simplified representation of a contour
by line segments, so that the main characteristics of the contour remain in a
small number of line segments. This paper presents a novel method for polygonal
approximation based on the Complex Networks theory. We convert each point of
the contour into a vertex, so that we model a regular network. Then we
transform this network into a Small-World Complex Network by applying some
transformations over its edges. By analyzing of network properties, especially
the geodesic path, we compute the polygonal approximation. The paper presents
the main characteristics of the method, as well as its functionality. We
evaluate the proposed method using benchmark contours, and compare its results
with other polygonal approximation methods.
