What is a navigation map?

Navigation map is a map required to display the defined location of a user at specific space on a navigation device. The map is connected to appropriate origin of a territory coordination and while user's moving monitors location change with special software. If the definite route has been selected in navigation software in advance then it reflects the movement of user on the route. Otherwise, the point is identified for its coordinates and reflected on the map. There are raster (picture) and vectorial navigation maps. Vectorial maps have specific features being accumulation of simple objects (points, lines, polygons and etc). Using those features give an opportunity to form map of necessary territory. Raster maps are accurate attachment of territory pictures to coordinate of the same territory.

Both of these map forms have advantages and disadvantages.

Raster display

In reality a map processed with a raster display is not a map in a true meaning of this word. Description is formed with pixels (little points) lined in a strict succession. It may seem like a picture from afar, but it looked closely it is gathering of color points. Generally speaking, raster displaying reflects on a screen just like it is saved on computer memory. Normally, those maps are saved as pictures in BMP format. Although they easily open on computer, due to the size they use huge part of hard disk space. If we use these pictures they cannot save schematic or photo pictures of map, plan of the territory and other data. User can draw required map using graphic editor. In all of these cases computer accepts those maps as general description. Houses, trees, water spaces and other objects are set of points only. But person looking at picture can identify "what is what". Using just those maps brings a lot of difficulties. Advantage of those maps is possibility to create preferable sample of map for any territory in preferable scale and to use it as a map after making appropriate changes.

Vectorial maps

These maps are not descriptional and never save pictures of areas. In fact, the vectorial maps are recalled they can be simply regenerated. This means that vectorial map is a data base that keeps all points, connecting lines, polygons and information about limited areas. Every object requires special attributes (color, note etc) for its exact display. For example, object reflected as a lake is in fact a polygon colored in blue or alike colour. This object becomes unique for its name, type and other data which gives availability to use it in different search algorithms, calculations, adjustments and so on. After identification of coordination by GPS receiver its location is identified to appropriate object on the map and reflected on display. During the user`s movement, all surrounding object start to change accordingly. So group of objects will be replaced with new ones. All these operations are carried fast. Navigation software using vectorial map identifies coordinates and reflects scale and view accordingly. This means that depending a view mode same object can be viewed in large or small scale.