text: Given a set @math of @math points in the plane, we study the computation of the probability distribution function of both the area and perimeter of the convex hull of a random subset @math of @math . The random subset @math is formed by drawing each point @math of @math independently with a given rational probability @math . For both measures of the convex hull, we show that it is #P-hard to compute the probability that the measure is at least a given bound @math . For @math , we provide an algorithm that runs in @math time and returns a value that is between the probability that the area is at least @math , and the probability that the area is at least @math . For the perimeter, we show a similar algorithm running in @math time. Finally, given @math and for any measure, we show an @math -time Monte Carlo algorithm that returns a value that, with probability of success at least @math , differs at most @math from the probability that the measure is at least @math .
  @cite_0: We study the convex-hull problem in a probabilistic setting, motivated by the need to handle data uncertainty inherent in many applications, including sensor databases, location-based services and computer vision. In our framework, the uncertainty of each input site is described by a probability distribution over a finite number of possible locations including a location to account for non-existence of the point. Our results include both exact and approximation algorithms for computing the probability of a query point lying inside the convex hull of the input, time-space tradeoffs for the membership queries, a connection between Tukey depth and membership queries, as well as a new notion of @math -hull that may be a useful representation of uncertain hulls.
  @cite_10: We study computing geometric problems on uncertain points. An uncertain point is a point that does not have a fixed location, but rather is described by a probability distribution. When these probability distributions are restricted to a finite number of locations, the points are called indecisive points. In particular, we focus on geometric shape-fitting problems and on building compact distributions to describe how the solutions to these problems vary with respect to the uncertainty in the points. Our main results are: (1) a simple and efficient randomized approximation algorithm for calculating the distribution of any statistic on uncertain data sets; (2) a polynomial, deterministic and exact algorithm for computing the distribution of answers for any LP-type problem on an indecisive point set; and (3) the development of shape inclusion probability (SIP) functions which captures the ambient distribution of shapes fit to uncertain or indecisive point sets and are admissible to the two algorithmic constructions.
  @cite_12: This paper deals with computing the smallest enclosing ball of a set of points subject to probabilistic data. In our setting, any of the n points may not or may occur at one of finitely many locations, following its own discrete probability distribution. The objective is therefore considered to be a random variable and we aim at finding a center minimizing the expected maximum distance to the points according to their distributions. Our main contribution presented in this paper is the first polynomial time (1 + e)-approximation algorithm for the probabilistic smallest enclosing ball problem with extensions to the streaming setting.
summary: In a more general model of discrete probabilistic points (called multipoint model @cite_0 ), each of the @math points either does not occur or occurs at one of finitely many locations, following its own discrete probability distribution. In this model that generalizes the one considered in this paper, @cite_0 gave exact computations and approximations of the probability that a query point lies in the convex hull, and @cite_12 considered the minimum enclosing ball problem and gave a @math -approximation. In this more general model and other ones, @cite_10 studied approximations of the distribution functions of the solutions of geometric shape-fitting problems, and described the variation of the solutions to these problems with respect to the uncertainty of the points. They noted that in the multipoint model the distribution of area or perimeter of the convex hull may have exponential complexity if all the points lie on or near a circle.