这是OpenLayers 2的实现函数。有一个顺时针多边形的条件是面积< 0，这是由这个参考确定的。

function IsClockwise(feature)
{
    if(feature.geometry == null)
        return -1;

    var vertices = feature.geometry.getVertices();
    var area = 0;

    for (var i = 0; i < (vertices.length); i++) {
        j = (i + 1) % vertices.length;

        area += vertices[i].x * vertices[j].y;
        area -= vertices[j].x * vertices[i].y;
        // console.log(area);
    }

    return (area < 0);
}

我将提出另一个解决方案，因为它很简单，不需要大量的数学运算，它只是使用了基本的代数。计算多边形的带符号面积。如果是负的，点是顺时针的，如果是正的，点是逆时针的。(这与Beta的解决方案非常相似。)

计算带符号的面积: A = 1/2 * (x1*y2 - x2*y1 + x2*y3 - x3*y2 +…+ xn*y1 - x1*yn)

或者在伪代码中:

signedArea = 0
for each point in points:
    x1 = point[0]
    y1 = point[1]
    if point is last point
        x2 = firstPoint[0]
        y2 = firstPoint[1]
    else
        x2 = nextPoint[0]
        y2 = nextPoint[1]
    end if

    signedArea += (x1 * y2 - x2 * y1)
end for
return signedArea / 2

注意，如果你只是检查顺序，你不需要麻烦除以2。

来源:http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PolygonArea.html

我认为为了使某些点顺时针方向，所有的边都必须是正的而不仅仅是边的和。如果一条边是负的，则逆时针方向给出至少3个点。

下面是一个基于@Beta答案的算法的简单c#实现。

让我们假设我们有一个Vector类型，它的X和Y属性为double类型。

public bool IsClockwise(IList<Vector> vertices)
{
    double sum = 0.0;
    for (int i = 0; i < vertices.Count; i++) {
        Vector v1 = vertices[i];
        Vector v2 = vertices[(i + 1) % vertices.Count];
        sum += (v2.X - v1.X) * (v2.Y + v1.Y);
    }
    return sum > 0.0;
}

%是执行模运算的模运算符或余数运算符，该运算符(根据维基百科)在一个数除以另一个数后求余数。

根据@MichelRouzic评论的优化版本:

double sum = 0.0;
Vector v1 = vertices[vertices.Count - 1]; // or vertices[^1] with
                                          // C# 8.0+ and .NET Core
for (int i = 0; i < vertices.Count; i++) {
    Vector v2 = vertices[i];
    sum += (v2.X - v1.X) * (v2.Y + v1.Y);
    v1 = v2;
}
return sum > 0.0;

这不仅节省了模运算%，还节省了数组索引。

测试(参见与@WDUK的讨论)

public static bool IsClockwise(IList<(double X, double Y)> vertices)
{
    double sum = 0.0;
    var v1 = vertices[^1];
    for (int i = 0; i < vertices.Count; i++) {
        var v2 = vertices[i];
        sum += (v2.X - v1.X) * (v2.Y + v1.Y);
        Console.WriteLine($"(({v2.X,2}) - ({v1.X,2})) * (({v2.Y,2}) + ({v1.Y,2})) = {(v2.X - v1.X) * (v2.Y + v1.Y)}");
        v1 = v2;
    }
    Console.WriteLine(sum);
    return sum > 0.0;
}

public static void Test()
{
    Console.WriteLine(IsClockwise(new[] { (-5.0, -5.0), (-5.0, 5.0), (5.0, 5.0), (5.0, -5.0) }));

    // infinity Symbol
    //Console.WriteLine(IsClockwise(new[] { (-5.0, -5.0), (-5.0, 5.0), (5.0, -5.0), (5.0, 5.0) }));
}

以下是基于上述答案的swift 3.0解决方案:

    for (i, point) in allPoints.enumerated() {
        let nextPoint = i == allPoints.count - 1 ? allPoints[0] : allPoints[i+1]
        signedArea += (point.x * nextPoint.y - nextPoint.x * point.y)
    }

    let clockwise  = signedArea < 0

虽然这些答案是正确的，但它们在数学上的强度比必要的要大。假设地图坐标，其中最北的点是地图上的最高点。找到最北的点，如果两个点相等，它是最北的，然后是最东的(这是lhf在他的答案中使用的点)。在你的观点中，

点[0]= (5,0)

点[1]= (6,4)

点[2]= (4,5)

点[3]= (1,5)

点[4]= (1,0)

If we assume that P2 is the most north then east point either the previous or next point determine clockwise, CW, or CCW. Since the most north point is on the north face, if the P1 (previous) to P2 moves east the direction is CW. In this case, it moves west, so the direction is CCW as the accepted answer says. If the previous point has no horizontal movement, then the same system applies to the next point, P3. If P3 is west of P2, it is, then the movement is CCW. If the P2 to P3 movement is east, it's west in this case, the movement is CW. Assume that nte, P2 in your data, is the most north then east point and the prv is the previous point, P1 in your data, and nxt is the next point, P3 in your data, and [0] is horizontal or east/west where west is less than east, and [1] is vertical.

if (nte[0] >= prv[0] && nxt[0] >= nte[0]) return(CW);
if (nte[0] <= prv[0] && nxt[0] <= nte[0]) return(CCW);
// Okay, it's not easy-peasy, so now, do the math
if (nte[0] * nxt[1] - nte[1] * nxt[0] - prv[0] * (nxt[1] - crt[1]) + prv[1] * (nxt[0] - nte[0]) >= 0) return(CCW); // For quadrant 3 return(CW)
return(CW) // For quadrant 3 return (CCW)