Methods of and apparatus for displaying map information

A navigation or mapping apparatus for generating an image representative of map information for display on a display screen, said apparatus comprising a display and at least one processor configured to:

• access digital map data to obtain map information representative of a geographic area, said map information including one or more first features in a plane, and one or more second features below the plane;
• render said obtained map information to generate an image representative of said map information by:
• generating, in a three dimensional space, a front tile and a rear tile, said rear tile being behind the front tile relative to a viewing position for the image, and said rear tile being spaced from the front tile by a predetermined distance, wherein a first portion of the front tile is coloured and/or textured to represent the one or more first features and a second portion of the front tile includes one or more see-through shapes in the plane of the tile, and wherein a first portion of the rear tile is coloured and/or textured to represent the one or more second features and a second portion of the rear tile that is coloured and/or textured to contrast with the first portion of the front tile, and wherein the first portion of the rear tile overlaps with the second portion of the front tile;
• and
• projecting the generated front and rear tiles to a two dimensional space from the viewing position to generate the image, wherein the relative position and predetermined distance between the front and rear tiles cause at least part of the second portion of the rear tile to appear surrounding the one or more first features of the first portion of the front tile so as to create a border effect;
• and
• provide said generated image for display on a display screen of the display.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer software stored thereon comprising one or more software modules operable, when executed in an execution environment, to cause a processor to perform a method of generating an image representative of map information for display on a display screen, comprising:

• accessing digital map data to obtain map information representative of a geographic area, said map information including one or more first features in a plane, and one or more second features below the plane;
• rendering said obtained map information to generate an image representative of said map information by:
• generating, in a three dimensional space, a front tile and a rear tile, said rear tile being behind the front tile relative to a viewing position for the image, and said rear tile being spaced from the front tile by a predetermined distance, wherein a first portion of the front tile is coloured and/or textured to represent the one or more first features and a second portion of the front tile includes one or more see-through shapes in the plane of the tile, and wherein a first portion of the rear tile is coloured and/or textured to represent the one or more second features and a second portion of the rear tile that is coloured and/or textured to contrast with the first portion of the front tile, and wherein the first portion of the rear tile overlaps with the second portion of the front tile;
• and
• projecting the generated front and rear tiles to a two dimensional space from the viewing position to generate the image, wherein the relative position and predetermined distance between the front and rear tiles cause at least part of the second portion of the rear tile to appear surrounding the one or more first features of the first portion of the front tile so as to create a border effect;
• and
• providing said generated image for display on a display screen of the display.