Vector Tile Label Collision Handling via Global Coordinate Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic maps face challenges in maintaining visually pleasing and comprehensible label representation, especially when maps are rotated, panned, or zoomed, leading to label clutter and overlap, especially when data is sourced from multiple independent sources.
Innovation Solution
A method involving vector tiles and a collision handling module that converts label coordinates to global coordinates, identifies duplicate labels within a vector tile family, and manages label priority and opacity to prevent overlap, allowing for efficient selection and display of labels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If labels are displayed from multiple vector tiles simultaneously, then more geographic information is represented, but label overlap and collision increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of duplicate labels across vector tiles before rendering. By converting coordinates to global coordinates and comparing labels in advance, the system identifies duplicates and prevents them from being displayed, thereby avoiding label collision while maintaining comprehensive geographic information representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection and management mechanism between multiple label sources. The system uses coordinate conversion and comparison as an intermediary process to mediate between labels from different vector tiles, identifying duplicates and managing their display to prevent harmful overlap.
2Reliability
If label detection and management across multiple vector tiles is performed, then label collision is prevented, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the label detection process by handling each vector tile independently through coordinate conversion and comparison. This segmentation allows the complex problem of multi-tile label management to be broken down into manageable units, reducing overall computational complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for efficient duplicate label handling. A vector tile is added to a render tree of an electronic map, the vector tile comprising a first set of labels. A vector tile family of the vector tile is identified, each vector tile of the family comprising a second set of labels. For each label of the first set, for each vector tile in the vector tile family, second labels from the second set are identified, and for each identified label, coordinates of the label of the first set are compared to coordinates of the identified label to determine whether the coordinates are within a threshold similarity of each other. Responsive to the determination, the label of the first set of labels is associated with an identifier with which the identified label is associated.