A method is provided for automated placement of labels for a given graph layout or map. Even though in practice a label is usually associated with a line (edge), point (node) or area, this method can be extended to produce labeling solution for any graphical feature with explicit geometric representation (in two or three dimensions). This method first finds a labeling solution for a set of graphical features G by eliminating a subset of the set of potential label placements for any member of G, and reducing the labeling problem to a maximum matching problem of a bipartite graph. Next, if there are graphical features in G that have no label placement assigned to them yet, a backtracking algorithm may be used to improve the space available for the labeled graphical features. It may be shown that the labeling problem is NP-hard if any graphical feature in G is a line or point. As a result, the GFLP problem cannot be solved in polynomial time, but requires the application of well-devised heuristics.
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