Planar or almost planar graphs: topology to the rescue of algorithms

Many graphs encountered in practice have a particular structure. For example, road networks have few or no intersections when drawn in a plane. We will see how this type of property interacts with the combinatorics of graphs, and often leads to the development of algorithms that are more efficient than in the general case. This will be an introductory talk focused on giving general principles and a toolbox for algorithm design on embedded graphs.