Proximity graphs are used in several areas in which a neighborliness
relationship for input data sets is a useful tool in their analysis, and have
also received substantial attention from the graph drawing community, as they
are a natural way of implicitly representing graphs. However, as a tool for
graph representation, proximity graphs have some limitations that may be
overcome with suitable generalizations. We introduce a generalization, witness
graphs, that encompasses both the goal of more power and flexibility for graph
drawing issues and a wider spectrum for neighborhood analysis. We study in
detail two concrete examples, both related to Delaunay graphs, and consider as
well some problems on stabbing geometric objects and point set discrimination,
that can be naturally described in terms of witness graphs.Comment: 27 pages. JCCGG 200