Exercise 1: Perpendicular Bisectors

Complete the questions in the table and draw the perpendicular bisectors for each of the line segments on the
̅̅̅̅ has already been done for you in the previous activity.
graph below. The bisector for line 𝐴𝐵

1. Line AC 2. Line BC

i. Gradient: ___________________________ i. Gradient: ___________________________

ii. Midpoint: ___________________________ ii. Midpoint: ___________________________

iii. Perpendicular Gradient: ________________ iii. Perpendicular Gradient: ________________

iv. Second Point: ________________________ iv. Second Point: ________________________

3. Line AD 4. Line CD

i. Gradient: ___________________________ i. Gradient: ___________________________

ii. Midpoint: ___________________________ ii. Midpoint: ___________________________

iii. Perpendicular Gradient: ________________ iii. Perpendicular Gradient: ________________

iv. Second Point: ________________________ iv. Second Point: ________________________

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Exercise 2: Using Your Voronoi Diagram
Once the Voronoi diagram has been constructed, we can now use it to determine the seed that is closest to
any given point on the map. The following questions provide simple examples on how these diagrams work.

1. Using the Voronoi Diagram, determine which seed A, B, C or D each of the coordinate points is closest
to:
i. (2, 3) _____________________________________________________

ii. (6, 5) _____________________________________________________

iii. (2.5, 3.5) __________________________________________________

iv. (7, 6) _____________________________________________________

v. (4, 2) _____________________________________________________

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Exercise 3: Constructing a Voronoi diagram by hand
1. On the Cartesian plane below, plot the following coordinate points:
(0, 2), (5, 7), (5, 0), (6,3), (10, 4), (7, 8), (1, 8), (3.5, 9), (3, 5)

2. Using a lead pencil lightly join each point with a straight line to create the Delaunay Triangulation. Try
to ensure that the triangle constructed between three points has the smallest area possible. This may
take you a few attempts.
3. Once you’re happy with your Delaunay Triangulation, Find the perpendicular bisector for each of its
line segments by following the steps in Part 2. Note: When drawing in your bisectors it may be easier to
draw the lines so that they only bisect the one line and stop in the middle of each triangle. This will
reduce the confusion when tracing the edges of your Voronoi cells. Make sure however that you make
them long enough so that three bisectors can intersect at a given point within each triangle.
4. Trace over each line segment in a different colour, stopping at the vertex where three bisectors
intersect. Continue this process with each bisector until each coordinate point is sitting within its own
cell on your Voronoi map. You now have a completed map, ready to use for your analysis.
You may find the following clip helpful in following these instructions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaUtG4CbOs
i. In the above video, the designer constructed his Voronoi diagram using only a ruler. What would
the disadvantages of such a method be?

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Exercise 4: Creating a Voronoi Diagram Using GeoGebra
As you have just experienced, drawing Voronoi diagrams by hand can be time consuming. In this section, we
will be incorporating the use of a Dynamic Mathematical Software (DMS) called GeoGebra to make help make
this process much simpler and more useful for larger scale applications.
One of the many applications of Voronoi Diagrams is in the investigation and containment of an infectious
disease where the outbreak source is not clearly apparent.
John Snow famously demonstrated the power of using these diagrams when identifying the source of the
1854 cholera outbreak and in the next exercise you will put these same skills to use by creating your own
Voronoi diagram using GeoGebra.
Investigating the Source of an Epidemic
The City of Casey has been struck down by a mystery disease. There have been 127 reported cases so far and
the rate is climbing. As a Public Health Official, it is your job to identify the source of the disease before more
people are infected. The figure below shows a map of the City of Casey with several reported cases highlighted
in orange. The GeoGebra file can be accessed at the following address:
https://www.geogebra.org/m/bhcrhvwa

The Department of Public Health has collected enough data to identify a few potential sources of the
outbreak; Schools, Childcare Centres and Healthcare Facilities. However, they need to narrow their field even
further in order to pinpoint the exact location of the infection source. It has been decided that a Voronoi Map
would provide the best way of doing this. The program GeoGebra will be used to help construct these maps
accurately for each of the locations.
Part 1: Plotting the Coordinate Points
In the input panel of GeoGebra, enter the ordered pairs specified for each of the sources below or simply
select ‘point’ in the top left-hand corner of your page and click on each point location on your cartesian plane:
Schools: (9, 7), (14, 5), (8, 4), (4, 1), (6, 10), (6, 5), (11, 9)
Child Care Centres: (6, 8), (11, 7), (10, 9), (6, 4), (10,6), (12, 3), (5, 2)
Health Care Facilities: (4, 7), (9, 4), (12, 5.5), (11.5, 8), (8, 8), (7, 3), (7, 5)
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You should now have a map that looks like the one shown.
Having all the locations on the map does not allow for
suitable analysis or successful use of a Voronoi diagram. For
our purposes, it will be much more beneficial to work with
each the facilities individually. Separating these on the graph
can be done in GeoGebra by inserting checkboxes into your
document using Boolean values.

Formatting Points
It is a lot easier to identify your points for each facility by assigning them a colour and reference name. This can
be done from the ‘Algebra’ panel or straight from the points on the map by right clicking on each point and
selecting ‘object properties’. A toolbox like the one shown below should appear to the right of your page.

Change the
name of
each point

On the ‘Basic’ tab you can change the name of the point and under the ‘Color’ tab, the colour of the point.
Assign the series of points from each facility with the associated names and the same colour to make your
map easier to read. The map below shows one where these steps have already been completed.

Part 2: Inserting Checkboxes

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 2. In the dropdown box labelled ‘select objects in construction or choose from list’, select the coordinates
that represent all the schools located on your map. A little checkbox should now appear somewhere
on your document.

If you click back onto the ‘move’ icon that looks like an arrow on your toolbar, you can now tick and
untick this checkbox to make the schools visible or hidden on your map.
3. Repeat these steps for the Child Care Centres and the Healthcare Facilities to create checkboxes for
each.
In order to identify the source of the outbreak, it is important to get a better look at a potential outbreak site.
By using a proximity diagram like a Voronoi, we can determine whether a large proportion of the cases are
located within a given cell and therefore within close range of a particular facility. To do this, we will need to
create Voronoi diagrams for all schools, childcare centres and healthcare facilities separately.
Part 3: Constructing the Voronoi Diagram
Using GeoGebra to construct a Voronoi map is a much simpler process than constructing one by hand. The
software has a tool already part of its programming that completes to procedure quickly and accurately.
1. In the input panel at the bottom of the page, simply type ‘voronoi’ and the following line will appear:

Where it states <LIST OF POINTS>, enter the letters representing each coordinate point you wish to
map. For your schools, these will be, (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7). As you enter these points, you will begin
to see your Voronoi map take shape. Hitting enter after you’re done, will complete the process and
your Voronoi diagram for your schools will be visible on your map.

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 2. Repeat this process for your childcare centres and your healthcare facilities to create three Voronoi
diagrams. You can change the colour of each map by right clicking on your Voronoi, selecting ‘object
properties’ and then ‘colour’. Having different colours for separate maps will make the analyses of your
cases much easier.
3. Inserting ‘checkboxes’ for each of the Voronoi diagrams will also aid you in your analysis because this
will allow you to work with one Voronoi at a time or even two together. The instructions for how to do
this are the same as those outlined in part two of this exercise.
Now that you have all the information that you need on your map. It’s time to start looking for some patterns
and drawing conclusions from the data provided.
Lesson Ideas
1. Which is your closest McDonalds restaurant?
2. What school should you be zoned to?
3. Where is the closest bathroom/bin from your location in the school?
4. Where is your closest train station?