Map Tools: Map Tiles

Feature Summary

Map tiles serve as the foundation for the map interface in GSatTrack, providing users with a visual representation of geographical features such as roads, terrain, water bodies, and landmarks. These tiles are generated from raster or vector data sources and are typically serve as pre-rendered images or vector graphics, allowing for fast and responsive map display. By integrating map tiles into GSatTrack, users can navigate, analyze, and interact with their data in a spatial context, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making capabilities.

Additional Information

How-To: Enable Map Tiles

1. Go to the Map Mode Indicator in the top right-hand corner of the portal and click on “Layers”

2. Click on “Map”

3. Select the desired map tile mode

4. Interact with the new map data

Default Map Tiles

• Map: The standard Map option displays a combination of data including roads and some topographic information, as well as identifying major points of importance like airports, hospitals, and parks.

• Map Light: The light-themed map is a black-and-white-themed version of the standard Map option. It is a decolorized low-contrast greyscale map whose greys skew white. Landmasses are lighter than bodies of water.

• Map Dark: The dark-themed map is a black-and-white themed version of the standard Map option. It is a decolorized low-contrast greyscale map whose greys skew black. Landmsses are darker than bodies of water.

• Satellite High Res: Satellite maps display actual satellite imagery of the areas on the map interface, properly colored to reflect the actual view. Satellite maps also overlay roadways unless toggled off by the user. When a user has a satellite map selected, the Map Tiles menu in the Map Tools bar has a check box at the bottom that says Labels. If there is a checkmark next to it, roadways will display on the Map. The high-resolution satellite map allows for more accurate zooming but requires more bandwidth and can be a factor in slow load times for larger data ecosystems.

• Satellite Low Res: Satellite maps display actual satellite imagery of the areas on the map interface, properly colored to reflect the actual view. Satellite maps also overlay roadways unless toggled off by the user. When a user has a satellite map selected, the Map Tiles menu in the Map Tools bar has a check box at the bottom that says Labels. If there is a checkmark next to it, roadways will display on the Map. The low-resolution satellite map requires significantly less bandwidth and can be a factor in eliminating slow load times for larger data ecosystems that still require a Satellite map view in the portal.

• Open Street Map: OpenStreetMap is an open-source service that displays a map similar to the standard Map option but with additional markings and indicators based on zoom level. The different sets of colored indicators and markings on the OpenStreetMap can be viewed on their website.

• Terrain: The terrain map tile shows a standard topographic map, along with colored lines to show water boundaries and flow paths.

Key Features

• Multiple Map Providers: GSatTrack offers a variety of map tile providers, including industry-standard providers such as Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps, and Mapbox, allowing users to choose the provider that best suits their needs and preferences.

• Customizable Display: Users can customize the display of map tiles by adjusting settings such as zoom level, map type (e.g., road map, satellite imagery, terrain map), and overlay options (e.g., weather radar, traffic information), enabling them to tailor the map interface to their specific requirements.

• Offline Support: GSatTrack supports offline map tile caching, allowing users to pre-download map tiles for offline use in areas with limited or no internet connectivity, ensuring uninterrupted access to geographic data during field operations or remote deployments.

• High-resolution Imagery: Map tiles in GSatTrack offer high-resolution imagery and detailed geographic information, enabling users to zoom in and explore specific areas with clarity and precision, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization of assets and spatial relationships.

• Fast and Responsive: Map tiles serve as pre-rendered images or vector graphics, ensuring fast and responsive map display, even when navigating large datasets or performing complex spatial queries, enhancing user experience and productivity.

• Integration Capabilities: Map tiles seamlessly integrate with other features and functionalities within GSatTrack, such as asset tracking, geofencing, and event management, enhancing their utility for various applications and use cases in asset management, fleet tracking, emergency response, and more.

Use Cases

The Map Tiles feature is valuable in a variety of operational scenarios:

• Asset Tracking: Organizations can use map tiles to visualize the location and movement of assets such as vehicles, equipment, and personnel in real time, enabling efficient monitoring, management, and security.

• Route Planning: Users can utilize map tiles to plan and optimize travel routes for vehicles, vessels, or aircraft, taking into account factors such as distance, terrain, traffic conditions, and points of interest.

• Geofencing: Map tiles enable users to define custom geofences on the map interface, delineating virtual boundaries and triggering alerts or actions based on the movement of assets within specified areas, enhancing security and monitoring capabilities.

• Event Management: Organizations can overlay event locations onto map tiles to visualize the spatial distribution of events such as incidents, emergencies, or planned activities, facilitating coordination and response efforts.

• Environmental Monitoring: Researchers and environmental agencies can use map tiles to visualize spatial patterns and trends in environmental data, such as pollution levels, habitat distribution, or land cover, aiding in environmental monitoring and management.

• Market Analysis: Analysts and investors can utilize map tiles to conduct market analysis, assess the spatial distribution of assets and competitors, identify investment opportunities, and evaluate market trends and dynamics.