Map Marker Tile Grid Segmentation for Rendering Overload
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Displaying a large number of markers on a map can overwhelm the system, leading to performance issues and making it difficult for users to interpret the data due to marker overlap and system crashes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating a boundary tile that encompasses multiple markers and assigning them to subtiles in a grid, displaying a representative marker for each subtile at initial zoom levels, and rendering all markers only when the zoom level meets a threshold, thereby reducing the number of markers displayed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all markers are displayed on the map, then complete data representation is achieved, but system performance deteriorates and marker clutter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The map display area is divided into multiple tiles, each containing a subset of markers. This segmentation allows the system to render only necessary marker subsets for each tile, reducing overall rendering load while maintaining complete data representation across all tiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tile dimension to the marker display system, organizing markers in a two-dimensional tile grid structure. This allows efficient spatial indexing and selective rendering of marker subsets based on viewer position and zoom level, improving performance without losing data completeness.
2Loss of information
If all markers are displayed on the map, then complete data representation is achieved, but user interpretation becomes difficult due to marker overlap
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the map into tiles with discrete marker subsets, the patent prevents marker overlap within each tile. Users can interpret markers clearly in their local context while the complete dataset remains represented across the full tile collection.
Solution Approach 2:
Each tile maintains high local quality by displaying a manageable number of non-overlapping markers. The system optimizes local marker density and distribution within each tile to ensure clear user interpretation, while the aggregate of all tiles preserves complete data representation.
3Loss of information
If too many markers are displayed, then complete data representation is achieved, but system reliability decreases due to crashes and errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large marker dataset into smaller tile-based subsets, reducing memory and processing requirements for each rendering operation. This prevents system crashes and errors associated with rendering excessive markers simultaneously, while maintaining complete data representation across the full tile set.
Solution Approach 2:
The system renders only the necessary subset of markers for each visible tile rather than all markers. This partial action approach maintains system reliability by avoiding overload, while the collection of all tile subsets preserves complete data representation.
4Ease of operation
If map is moved causing re-rendering of markers, then updated view is provided, but system performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By organizing markers into static tile subsets, the patent enables efficient map navigation. When the map moves, the system only needs to re-render markers within the newly visible tiles rather than all markers, significantly improving performance while maintaining responsive map interaction.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for generating, based on a marker data set of multiple markers, a boundary tile that encompasses the multiple markers on the map, assigning each of the markers in the multiple markers to one subtile in a grid of subtiles, wherein each subtile in the grid of subtiles represents a portion of the boundary tile, and for at least one subtile in the grid of subtiles having at least one of the multiple markers assigned, displaying, on the map, a representative marker of the at least one of the multiple markers having a location closest to a center of the at least one subtile.