Amount of place names on vector maps

Hi,

Rendering vector maps is influenced by themes (ie osmarender). Theme is basically xml file, where is defined what will be shown on specific zoom. You can customize this theme by editing xml file and create own style. How to create this theme is decribed: http://code.google.com/p/mapsforge/wi...

For example if you want to change the zoom for cities, please focus on tags zoom-min or zoom-max on lines:

<rule e="node" k="place" v="*">

<rule e="node" k="place" v="town" zoom-min="10" zoom-max="10">

<caption k="name" font-style="bold" font-size="15" fill="#000000" stroke="#ffffff" stroke-width="2.0" />

</rule>

Cheers Petr

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for!

I tried this but was unable to get villages to show below zoom level 12. In the osmarender orgmapsforge.xml file, I modified the rule:

<rule e="node" k="place" v="suburb|town|village" zoom-min="12">

<caption k="name" font-style="bold" font-size="15" fill="#000000" stroke="#ffffff" stroke-width="2.0" />

</rule>

to be:

<rule e="node" k="place" v="suburb|town|village" zoom-min="10">

<caption k="name" font-style="bold" font-size="40" fill="#000000" stroke="#ffffff" stroke-width="2.0" />

</rule>

With the modified file in the Maine (USA) vector map, with a zoom level 12 the name of the village of Holden (It is next to Bangor.) was very much larger than it had been with the original .xml file. However, at zoom levels 11 and below the name was still absent. (It disappeared at zoom level 13 and reappeared huge at zoom levels 14 and above. With the original file, it appeared at zoom level 12 and remained present for all levels up to 22.)

Is there an over-riding rule somewhere?

Hi Martin,

Unfortunately I can not give you clear answer. From my point of view Mapsforge (library that renders vector data) uses some kind of inner logic. I mean that some nodes(text) is not shown because of amount text on screen. If is text level for you vital I’ll try to find out more information.

Regards Petr

I suspected that it was some "built in" filtering. A large number of features suddenly appear at level 10. The problem is not "vital" as long as you have access to the internet. If you have internet access, you just enter the name of the "village" into the address search and you are taken there immediately.

However, if all you do not have the coordinates or internet access, there is a general problem with navigating to a point in the vast amounts of the United States that are not densely populated. In the three states I have downloaded (California, Maine, & Vermont) most of what I would call cities in rural areas do not appear until you zoom in to level 10.

Probably the ideal solution would be to have the place names in the vector maps be searchable as text. Then you wouldn`t have to carefully center your view while zoomed so far out that you can see obvious features and then zoom in to level 10 and hunt around until you find the "village" near where you want to be.

We are planning to create new render skin (xml) in next two month so we’ll also try to focus on names of cities, villages.

I would vote for any concept of off-line searching and probably there are some possibilities how to do it. Unfortunately there are different requirements that we have to solve at this moment. Maybe in future...

Did anything happened with that? I`m using vector maps pretty often and I always have problem with place names. They are just rare. Very often I`m looking at the map and I can see only forests and roads. No names whatsoever. I tried all themes without results.

in latest 2.14.0 should be visible improvements and on map should be much more place labels. It`s not best yet, but better then before I think

For me still a big problem to find important village names when trying to get an topographic orientation in a new region. Some of the major names just do not show up at a given zoom level. To have this fixed would be a major improvement using vector maps.

Regards

Wolf

Wolf! I totally agree. This is just shocking to have map without any names on it. And it just happen. Some zooms are without any names. This situation lasts for years now...

This is still bad. I have been cycle-touring in Austria; using another app to book a hotel but cannot find where the village is on LocusPro. Internet search not always possible (or expensive if not in home country).

I can see that the same problem exists even on a non-vector map (i.e. OpenCycleMap) but it is much worse on LocusPro.

Maybe helps: with 3.9.1 this is a new feature: add: support for new theme system for MapsForge maps. This means that the new themes can be used from http://www.openandromaps.org/neue-locus-version-mit-unterstuetzung-von-schaltbaren-overlays. These themes offer Normal / Large / XLarge, plus a lot more control over which items are shown on vector maps. Just download these themes into Locus from that website directly (there is a direct download button when using Chrome on Android). Then, just fiddle around with it and maybe it offers what you want. I can upload some screenshots when I am back home.

EDIT: I just used the theme called 'Elements SVG', put it to 'City', and only selected overlay 'settlement names' and I only see ... names of town/cities on the map. I reckon that is what you want.

Thanks, this looks promising. Place name font size is much better, but some names still disappearing at certain zooms. I will try on my next trip.