Map Tile Server Selection to Reduce Content Delivery Latency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Selecting an appropriate tile server to generate a requested map is challenging due to tiles being stored on multiple different servers, leading to latency issues in delivering maps to client devices.

Innovation Solution

A client device determines the required tiles by consulting a map management server and initially requests from the closest tile server; if that fails, it sends requests to other tile servers until a capable server is found, using a waterfall approach to optimize latency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If tiles are stored on multiple different tile servers, then the system can provide map tiles from various locations, but selecting an appropriate tile server becomes challenging and increases latency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to access maps from multiple tile serversVSAvoidlatency in delivering maps to client device

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining a map of tile servers and their locations beforehand. When a client requests map tiles, the system can immediately determine which server is geographically closest and retrieve tiles from that server without delay, eliminating the selection challenge and reducing latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If the system requests tiles from the closest tile server first, then latency is reduced, but request failures may occur if that server does not have the required tiles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelatency in retrieving tilesVSAvoidrequest failure rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by creating and maintaining a comprehensive map of all tile servers and their geographic locations before requests occur. This pre-established knowledge base enables the system to quickly determine the closest server with required tiles, reducing latency while avoiding failures through informed server selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback mechanisms to track which servers have which tiles and their geographic locations. This feedback information is used to intelligently select the closest server that actually has the required tiles, balancing latency reduction with reliability by avoiding servers that cannot fulfill requests.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the system uses a waterfall approach to request tiles from multiple servers, then reliability is improved, but complexity of the request process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesuccess rate of tile retrievalVSAvoidcomplexity of tile request process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-mapping all tile servers and their capabilities before the waterfall request process begins. This pre-established server map simplifies the complexity of the request process by providing a clear hierarchy and location-based selection criteria, while still maintaining reliability through the waterfall approach of requesting from multiple servers if needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20260111453A1Mapping content delivery

Publication Date: 2026.04.23 PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC

AI summary

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to mapping content delivery. A client device provides, to a map management server, a request for a map of a geographic region. The client device receives, from the map management server, an identification of tiles for the map. The client device provides, to a first tile server, a request for the tiles for the map. In response to receiving the tiles from the first tile server: the client device displays the map of the geographic region based on the tiles.