Native Maps for Web, Mobile and Linux
A map rendering library written in Rust.
## Project State
This project is in a proof-of-concept state. The proof of concept is done except for text rendering.
The Rust ecosystem is suited very well for this project.
In the future, this project could be adopted and supported by [Maplibre](https://github.com/maplibre) to implement a
next-gen mapping solution.
📰 We recently released a paper about maplibre-rs called [maplibre-rs: toward portable map renderers](https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-4-W1-2022-35-2022)!
## Description
maplibre-rs is a portable and performant vector maps renderer. We aim to support web, mobile and desktop applications. This
is achieved by the novel [WebGPU](https://www.w3.org/TR/webgpu/) specification. Plenty of native implementations are
already implementing this specification. On the web, it is implemented by Firefox, Chrome and Safari. There are also
standalone implementations that directly use Vulkan, OpenGL or Metal as a backend. Those backends allow maplibre-rs to run on
mobile and desktop applications.
Rust is used as a Lingua-franka on all platforms. This is made possible by WebAssembly, which allows us to use Rust for
web development.
The goal of maplibre-rs is to render maps to visualize data. Right now the goal of maplibre-rs is not to replace existing
vector map renderers like Google Maps, Apple Maps or MapLibre. The current implementation serves as a proof-of-concept
of the used technology stack. It is unclear whether the high-performance requirements of rendering maps using vector
graphics are achievable using the current stack.
## Talk: World in Vectors
[
](https://media.ccc.de/v/mch2022-265-world-in-vectors-cross-platform-map-rendering-using-rust)
([External Link](https://media.ccc.de/v/mch2022-265-world-in-vectors-cross-platform-map-rendering-using-rust))
([Older Talk on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFk8bOtJzCM))
## Demos
- [WebGL](https://webgl.demo.maplibre-rs.maplibre.org)
- [WebGL with multithreading](https://webgl-multithreaded.demo.maplibre-rs.maplibre.org) - Does not work on Safari right now
- [WebGPU](https://webgpu.demo.maplibre-rs.maplibre.org) - Only works with development versions of Firefox and Chrome
## Current Features
* Runs on Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, Firefox and Chrome
* Render a vector tile dataset
* Simple navigation powered by winit
* Multithreaded on all platforms
* Querying feature data
## Missing Features
* Rendering Text
* Per-Feature Rendering
* Rendering:
* Labels
* Symbols
* Raster data
* 3D terrain
* Hill-shade (DEM)
* Collision detection
* Support for:
* GeoJSON
* API for:
* TypeScript
* Swift
* Java/Kotlin
## Building & Running
Clone the project
```bash
git clone https://github.com/maplibre/maplibre-rs.git
```
Build and run it on a desktop
```bash
cargo run -p maplibre-demo
```
More information about running the demos on different platforms can be
found [here](https://maplibre.org/maplibre-rs/docs/book/development-guide/how-to-run.html).
## Rust Setup
Install [rustup](https://rustup.rs/) because this is the recommended way of setting up Rust toolchains.
The toolchain will be automatically downloaded when building this project.
See [./rust-toolchain.toml](./rust-toolchain.toml) for more details about the toolchain.
## API Documentation
This generates the documentation for this crate and opens the browser. This also includes the documentation of every
dependency.
```bash
cargo doc --open
```
You can also view the up-to-date documentation [here](https://maplibre.org/maplibre-rs/docs/api/maplibre/).
## Book
The maplibre-rs [book](https://maplibre.org/maplibre-rs/docs/book/) features a high-level overview over the project from a user and development perspective.
## RFCs
We established an RFC process which must be used to describe major changes to maplibre-rs.
Current RFCs can be browsed in the [book](https://maplibre.org/maplibre-rs/docs/book/rfc/0001-rfc-process.html).
## Citing
If you wish to cite this project in a scientific publication use the following format:
```bibtex
@article{maplibre_rs,
title = {maplibre-rs: toward portable map renderers},
author = {Ammann, M. and Drabble, A. and Ingensand, J. and Chapuis, B.},
year = 2022,
journal = {The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences},
volume = {XLVIII-4/W1-2022},
pages = {35--42},
doi = {10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-4-W1-2022-35-2022},
url = {https://www.int-arch-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/XLVIII-4-W1-2022/35/2022/}
}
```
## Acknowledgements
The renderer of maplibre-rs is heavily based on the renderer of [bevy](https://bevyengine.org/). Bevy's renderer was
forked into this project in order to have a solid and generic base.
