Maps come in all shapes, sizes, and scales. Often, it can be difficult to find a map that displays the entire geographic area you want to see at the correct scale- either the scale is too small, or there are multiple sheets at a larger scale that do not cohesively blend. This is where geomosaics come in handy. This process allows map sheets to be joined seamlessly, allowing the viewer to see an area larger than what could be displayed on single paper maps. We asked our Director of Operations, Daron Anderson, about why geomosaics are so important in the comprehension and interpretation of maps and geospatial data.
“A geomosaic is a merge of two or more raster images. Geomosaics are ideal for distributing large amounts of raster data in a compressed and efficient way. Topographic maps, thematic maps, digital elevation models or imagery could all be types of raster images used to create a geomosaic. Geomosaics provide seamless map coverage over a certain location or region, making it easier to pinpoint and personalize the geographic area you want to see. There are many formats of geomosaics, which include: GeoTIFF, ECW, JPEG2000, GeoPackage and MBTiles.
PICTURED: A GeoMosaic of Myanmar. You can see the different boundaries for the sheets, but they are seamlessly integrated together on our MapVault service.
How does this apply to your work at EVG?
EVG has thousands of authoritative raster map series, in many formats all over the world. By creating geomosaics, we can make discovery and ease of use very simple. Use cases for geomosaics include basemaps, discovery, research and presentation. EVG geomosaics can be served to our clients via web services, including our own streaming service MapVault. In short, geomosaics allow people to view several map sheets simultaneously and seamlessly, making it easier to view and analyze specific geographic areas.”
Geomosaics represent a fusion of old and new technology- it allows historic maps in analog format to be digitized, georeferenced, and fused with other maps to display large-area seamless coverage. Our MapVault web mapping tile services allow clients to see all the different map sheets and series that we offer and choose which specific sheets they’d like to see. Geomosaics make maps faster and easier to view and understand, as they can be tailored to show specific geographic areas that could not be observed in the traditional sheet format.
Daron Anderson, Director of Operations
