In
shape analysis,
skeleton (or
topological skeleton) of a
shape is a thin version of that shape that is
equidistant to its
boundaries. The skeleton usually emphasizes geometrical and topological properties of the shape, such as its
connectivity,
topology,
length,
direction, and
width. Together with the distance of its points to the shape boundary, the skeleton can also serve as a representation of the shape (they contain all the information necessary to reconstruct the shape).