Generating virtual map tiles according to an ad hoc specification

A computing system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a memory connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores:
• a map module including instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform at least:
• (i) in response to receiving a request for a portion of an electronic map, from a client device through an interface of a map server, parsing the request to identify an ad hoc specification as part of the request, wherein the ad hoc specification is a custom specification to the request and includes characteristics of virtual map tiles for forming the portion of the electronic map;
• (ii) parsing the ad hoc specification identified as part of the request (i) to identify a display specification that defines map content used to generate virtual map tiles and a format of the virtual map tiles, and (ii) to identify a rendering specification that defines rendering instructions to transform spatial and non-spatial data into map symbols and images to be displayed;
• (iii) defining virtual map tiles that form a viewable region of the electronic map according to the ad hoc specification including at least the format and the map content identified as part of the request from at least one of the display specification and the rendering specification;
• (iv) fetching, by the map server, the map content from one or more data sources indicated by the ad hoc specification in the request;
• (v) computing and generating, by the map server, the virtual map tiles from at least the fetched map content and according to the format indicated by the ad hoc specification, wherein the virtual map tiles are generated on-demand in response to receiving the request and the ad hoc specification;
• (vi) executing the rendering instructions from the rendering specification to transform the spatial and the non-spatial data in the virtual map tiles into the map symbols and the images according to the rendering specification;
• and
• an interface module including instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform at least transmitting, via network communications, the virtual map tiles to the client device to cause the viewable region of the electronic map to be displayed on the client device.

A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

• in response to receiving a request for a portion of an electronic map, from a client device through an interface of a map server, parsing, by at least a processor, the request to identify an ad hoc specification as part of the request, wherein the ad hoc specification is a custom specification to the request and includes characteristics of virtual map tiles for forming the portion of the electronic map;
• parsing the ad hoc specification identified as part of the request:
• (i) to identify a display specification that defines map content used to generate virtual map tiles and a format of the virtual map tiles, and (ii) to identify a rendering specification that defines rendering instructions to transform spatial and non-spatial data into map symbols and images to be displayed;
• defining virtual map tiles that form a viewable region of the electronic map according to the ad hoc specification including at least the format and the map content identified as part of the request from at least one of the display specification and the rendering specification;
• fetching, by the map server, the map content from one or more data sources indicated by the ad hoc specification in the request;
• computing and generating, by the map server, the virtual map tiles from at least the fetched map content and according to the format indicated by the ad hoc specification, wherein the virtual map tiles are generated on-demand in response to receiving the request and the ad hoc specification;
• executing the rendering instructions from the rendering specification to transform the spatial and the non-spatial data in the virtual map tiles into the map symbols and the images according to the rendering specification;
• and
• transmitting, via network communications, the virtual map tiles to the client device to cause the viewable region of the electronic map to be displayed on the client device.