METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR RENDERING A MAP ACCORDING TO HYBRID MAP DATA

• US 20130321456A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hultquist, Jeffrey P., Howard, James A., Pahwa, Aroon, Blumenberg, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus are described to render a map according to hybrid map data. A map may be generated by a map service and sent to a client device. Hybrid map data composed of raster graphics data and vector graphics data may be generated by a map service to be sent to and rendered on a client device. A client device obtains hybrid map data, renders the vector graphics data using vector graphics, renders the raster graphics data using raster graphics, and displays the map view. A client device may receive input modifying the zoom level of the displayed map. In response a client device may render the vector graphics data at the modified zoom level and scale the raster graphics data to the zoom level. Some embodiments may obtain update raster graphics data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing, by a computing device;

obtaining from a server, by a mapping application, hybrid map data, wherein said hybrid map data comprises vector graphics data and raster graphics data; and

rendering a map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data for display on the computing device, comprising;

rendering the raster graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data;

rendering the vector graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data; and

combining the rendered raster graphics data with the rendered vector graphics data to create the map view.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the rendered map view on a display of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining input modifying a zoom level of the displayed map view;

in response to the input, rendering a modified map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data for display on the computing device comprising;

rendering the vector graphics data according to the modified zoom level;

scaling the raster graphics data according to the modified zoom level; and

combining the rendered vector graphics data with the scaled raster graphics data to create the modified map view.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the modified map view on a display device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

wherein rendering the modified map view further comprises requesting from a server updated raster graphics corresponding to the modified zoom level;

in response to receiving the updated raster graphics data, combining the rendered vector graphics data with the updated raster graphics data to create an updated map view; and

displaying the updated map view on a display of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the raster graphics data describes a background layer, and wherein the vector graphics data describes one or more objects overlaying the background layer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the hybrid map data further comprises other raster graphics data, wherein said other raster graphics data is used to render a fill portion of at least one of the one or more objects described by the vector graphics data.

8. A method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices implementing a map service;

generating hybrid map data, wherein said hybrid map data comprises vector graphics data and raster graphics data, and wherein said hybrid map data describes one or more map features comprising;

for each map feature of the hybrid map data;

determining whether the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics;

in response to determining the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics, generating a vector graphics representation of the map feature according to vector graphics;

in response to determining the map feature is not to be described according to vector graphics, generating a raster graphics representation of the map feature according to raster graphics; and

sending the hybrid map data to a client device for rendering.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining whether the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics comprises:

calculating a number of geometric primitives necessary to render the map feature according to vector graphics; and

determining whether the determined number of geometric primitives exceeds a complexity threshold value to indicate whether the map feature is too complex to generate using vector graphics.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the geometric primitives are vertices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the complexity threshold value is determined according to a rendering capability of a client device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the complexity threshold value is determined according to a communication capability of a client device.

13. A multi-function device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display device;

one or more processors;

one or more memories storing a map application executable on the one or more processors to;

obtain from a server hybrid map data, wherein said hybrid map data comprises vector graphics data and raster graphics data; and

render a map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data for display on the touch-sensitive display device, comprising;

render the raster graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data;

render the vector graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data;

combine the rendered raster graphics data with the rendered vector graphics data to create the map view; and

display the rendered map view on the touch-sensitive display device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the memory further comprises program instructions implementing a map application executable by the one or more processors to:

obtain input via the touch-sensitive display device modifying a zoom level of the displayed map view;

in response to the input, render a modified map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data for display on multi-function device comprising;

rendering the vector graphics data according to the modified zoom level;

scaling the raster graphics data according to the modified zoom level; and

combining the rendered vector graphics data with the scaled raster graphics data to create the modified map view.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the memory further comprises program instructions implementing a map application executable by the one or more processors to:

wherein, to render the modified map view further comprises requesting from a server updated raster graphics corresponding to the modified zoom level;

in response to receiving the updated raster graphics data, combine the rendered vector graphics data with the updated raster graphics data to create an updated map view; and

display the updated map view on the touch-sensitive display.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the raster graphics data describes a background layer, and wherein the vector graphics data describes one or more objects overlaying the background layer.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the hybrid map data further comprises other raster graphics data, wherein said other raster graphics data is used to render a fill portion of at least one of the one or more objects described by the vector graphics data.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions implementing a map service executable by the one or more processors to;

generate hybrid map data, wherein said hybrid map data comprises vector graphics data and raster graphics data, and wherein said hybrid map data describes one or more map features comprising;

for each map feature of the hybrid map data;

determine whether the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics;

in response to determining the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics, generating a vector graphics representation of the map feature according to vector graphics;

in response to determining the map feature is not to be described according to vector graphics, generating a raster graphics representation of the map feature according to raster graphics; and

sending the hybrid map data to a client device for rendering.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein to determine whether the map feature is to be described according to vector graphics, the program instructions implementing a map service are executable by the one or more processors to:

calculate a number of geometric primitives necessary to render the map feature according to vector graphics; and

determine whether the determined number of geometric primitives exceeds a complexity threshold value to indicate whether the map feature is too complex to generate using vector graphics.

20. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a map application configured to implement:

obtaining from a server, by a mapping application, hybrid map data, wherein said hybrid map data comprises vector graphics data and raster graphics data; and

rendering a map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data, comprising;

rendering the raster graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data;

rendering the vector graphics data of the obtained hybrid map data; and

combining the rendered raster graphics data with the rendered vector graphics data to create the map view; and

displaying the rendered map view on a display device.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement a map application configured to implement:

obtaining input modifying a zoom level of the displayed map view;

in response to the input, rendering a modified map view based upon the obtained hybrid map data for display comprising;

rendering the vector graphics data according to the modified zoom level;

scaling the raster graphics data according to the modified zoom level; and

combining the rendered vector graphics data with the scaled raster graphics data to create the modified map view; and

displaying the rendered modified map view on the display device

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement a map application configured to implement:

wherein, rendering the modified map view further comprises requesting from a server updated raster graphics corresponding to the modified zoom level;

in response to receiving the updated raster graphics data, combining the rendered vector graphics data with the updated raster graphics data to create an updated map view; and

displaying the updated map view on the display device.

23. The medium of claim 20, wherein the raster graphics data describes a background layer, and wherein the vector graphics data describes one or more objects overlaying the background layer.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the hybrid map data further comprises other raster graphics data, wherein said other raster graphics data is used to render a fill portion of at least one of the one or more objects described by the vector graphics data.

25. The medium of claim 20, wherein the hybrid map data comprises one or more map tiles.