MapHub’s brand new engine: Mapbox GL
When I started MapHub I thought most maps would feature a maximum dozen points or so, like if they were illustrations in a book.
When I started MapHub I thought most maps would feature a maximum dozen points or so, like if they were illustrations in a book.
It turns out many users found very different use cases, and started to use MapHub to create database-like maps, featuring over 1000 items!
Handling these data heavy maps were a big limitation in the original MapHub engine, Leaflet. While Leaflet is a wonderful JavaScript library for displaying light maps, it was extremely slow for these data heavy use-cases.
The great news is that I’ve finished migrating MapHub to a brand new engine, MapBox GL JS! MapBox GL is based on hardware accelerated WebGL and handles even the biggest MapHub maps at super smooth 60 FPS!
Want to see the difference on your device? Here is one if the largest maps, community collaborated public map of Polish football clubs.
- old version, using Leaflet
- new version, using Mapbox GL
New possibilities
Mapbox GL allows huge possibilities in implementing widely requested features, like smooth zooming (already enabled, try it!), dashed lines or label rotation! And of course, vector tiles (soon)!
What’s next?
Reordering and organising items into groups, in a super nice, intuitive way? The most requested feature ever? Mmmm.
Questions
Also, if you have any question or would like to see an important feature implemented, just open a topic on the forum or email me.
You can follow MapHub updates on Twitter, Facebook or here on Medium.
Zsolt
cover photo by Olga Stalska on Unsplash