Raster Tile

Raster Tile is a relatively traditional mode, which essentially renders Spatial Data (Raster Data and Vector Data) into map images of different zoom levels, and then segments the map images of different levels according to certain rules. It is stored in the hard disk or database according to certain rules to form a complete map. At present, most Online Maps in China use Raster Tile technology to load map base maps, such as Baidu Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps.

Figure: Structure of Raster Tile

Vector Tile

Vector Tile is to cut and store the Vector Layer in the map in the form of tile. Compared with Raster Tile, Vector Tile is small in size and high in generation efficiency when it is stored, so it is suitable for the expression of ground features with high timeliness requirements in maps, such as POI information, route information, etc. For example, in the Sky Map, the POI layer uses Vector Tile technology to meet the real-time updating needs of data. At the same time, it can realize offline map, greatly improve the browsing performance of mobile map, and improve the possibility and effectiveness of work.

In addition, Vector Tile supports style modification, eliminating the need to repeatedly draw, render, cut, and update services for different styles. For example, in applications involving massive data in land and other industries, when the map style changes, Vector Tile can directly change the style, saving time and effort.

Tile Type: comparison

Contrast item	Vector Tile	Raster Tile
Tile volume	Small	Big
Generate Tiles efficiency	High	Low
Update Tile	Style and Tile are separated, and Tile can be updated separately	Recut the picture
Style modification	Support	Not supported
Front-end technical requirements	High (HTML5)	Low
Display the difference	There are differences	No difference
Maturity	General	High
Application scenario	Special (mobile end, style modification)	Extensive

Related topics

Tile production

Recommendations for using Map Tiles