Paths and Intersections: Minimum Realization of Okamura-Seymour Instances

Abstract

We study the inverse problem for shortest-path metrics of Okamura-Seymour (OS) instances. Given an OS metric $D$ on a cyclically ordered terminal set $T$, the goal is to find minimum realizations of $D$, where minimum means having the fewest edges among all disk-embedded realizations with the prescribed terminal order. We show that $D$ determines a canonical medial graph template and every minimum realization is the primal graph of an arrangement of this template. Consequently, the underlying embedded graphs of minimum realizations of $D$ can be recovered, and for each such graph one can efficiently compute edge lengths realizing $D$. Our algorithm follows a recent approach of analyzing graph structures, by viewing graphs as paths and their intersections, which we believe is of independent interest.