Some embodiments are directed to a computer implemented method for simplification of a point cloud including a set of points. The method comprises implementing recursive spatial partitioning of the set of points into a hierarchy of clusters, identifying representative points within each cluster in the hierarchy and, for each representative point, defining a point-pair that consists of or includes the representative point and a representative point of an immediate parent cluster. The method further includes calculating a contraction error metric for each point-pair, and iteratively contracting the point-pair with the lowest contraction error metric, updating remaining point-pairs as a result of the contraction, and revising the contraction error metric of the updated point-pairs accordingly.