mc_network: Least-cost network between multiple locations

In movecost: Calculation of Slope-Dependant Accumulated Cost Surface, Least-Cost Paths, Least-Cost Corridors, Least-Cost Networks Related to Human Movement Across the Landscape

Least-cost network between multiple locations

Description

Computes least-cost paths between multiple locations, either between all unique pairs (type = "allpairs") or from each location to its closest (cost-wise) neighbour (type = "neigh"), together with the full origin-to-origin cost matrix and, optionally, a path-density raster.

Usage

mc_network(
  surface,
  nodes,
  type = c("allpairs", "neigh"),
  density = FALSE,
  time = "h"
)

Arguments

surface	a movecost_surface object created by mc_surface.
nodes	locations to be connected (sf points, SpatVector, or legacy SpatialPointsDataFrame); at least two.
type	"allpairs" (default) for LCPs between all unique pairs of locations (in both directions, since costs are anisotropic), or "neigh" for LCPs from each location to its cost-wise nearest neighbour.
density	TRUE or FALSE (default): also compute the path-density rasters.
time	unit for time-based cost functions: "h" (hours, default) or "m" (minutes).

Details

The graph stored in the mc_surface object is reused throughout: the cost matrix requires a single multi-source query and the paths one Dijkstra run per location, whereas movecost <= 2.x rebuilt the conductance matrix before any of this could start. For n locations this reduces the dominant cost from O(n) full matrix constructions to zero.

The path-density raster (density = TRUE) counts, for each cell, how many least-cost paths traverse it; the percentage version expresses the count against the total number of paths. Density is computed exactly, from the graph vertices of each path (no rasterisation approximation).

Value

An object of class movecost_network, a list with components

• paths: sf lines with from, to, cost, and length attributes;

• cost.matrix: full asymmetric cost matrix between locations (in the unit of the cost function; for time-based functions, in the unit selected via time);

• density.count, density.perc: path-density rasters (SpatRaster; NULL unless density = TRUE);

• nodes: the input locations (sf), with a node column holding the index (1..n) that matches the row and column names of cost.matrix and the node labels drawn by plot();

• metadata used by the plot method.

Plot it at any time with plot() (see plot.movecost_network).

See Also

mc_surface, plot.movecost_network

Examples

dtm <- mc_volc()
destin <- mc_destin_loc()

surf <- mc_surface(dtm, funct = "t", move = 8)
nw <- mc_network(surf, nodes = destin, type = "allpairs")

nw$cost.matrix              # asymmetric origin-to-origin costs
plot(nw)

# network connecting each site to its cost-wise nearest neighbour
nw2 <- mc_network(surf, nodes = destin, type = "neigh")
plot(nw2)

movecost documentation built on June 16, 2026, 1:06 a.m.