What is a Map Feature?

When you look at a map, you're not just seeing roads and cities; you're seeing a collection of map features. But what exactly is a map feature, and why is it important for navigation systems and location-based services?

Defining a Map Feature

A map feature is any specific point, line, or area represented on a map. These can include roads, rivers, buildings, or even smaller details like stop signs or turn traffic lights. Each feature provides critical information about the environment, making maps more detailed and useful for navigation.

Types of Map Features

Map features are generally divided into three main categories:

Point Features: These represent specific locations, such as intersections, landmarks, or parking spots. They are crucial for providing context and precision in navigation.
Line Features: These represent linear elements like roads, rivers, or trails. Line features guide the flow of navigation by showing routes and pathways.
Area Features: These cover larger spaces like parks, lakes, or entire city blocks. Area features are useful for identifying zones, boundaries, or regions on a map.

How Map Features Impact Navigation

Each map feature contributes to a more accurate navigation experience. Roads and traffic signs, for example, help a navigation system suggest the best route. Detailed point features like speed bumps or construction zones can even inform drivers about specific conditions on their route. This makes maps more dynamic and useful for real-world applications.

Our Approach to Map Features

Bee Maps takes a crowdsourced approach to collecting street-level imagery. This approach allows us to cover roads the most often and at the lowest cost. As we cover more ground or detect changes in existing coverage, detected objects are properly and successfully geo-located, becoming map features that are accessible via our Map Features API. Each map feature is provided with a precise directional value (azimuth), allowing you to understand its orientation in relation to a specific driving route. Access map features in complex traffic zones and monitor changes globally.