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Draft:Deck.gl

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Deck.gl
Original author(s)Uber
Developer(s)OpenJS Foundation
Initial releaseNovember 10, 2016 (2016-11-10)
Written inTypeScript, JavaScript
Operating systemCross-platform
PlatformWeb browser
TypeData visualization, Web mapping, 3D graphics
LicenseMIT License
Websitedeck.gl

Deck.gl is an open-source JavaScript and TypeScript library developed by Uber and maintained under the OpenJS Foundation as part of the "vis.gl" project, a collection of visualization tools for the web. It is designed for visualizing large-scale data sets, including geospatial data, in both 2D and 3D environments using WebGL.

Features

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Deck.gl is designed to render complex, high-volume data sets directly in a web browser. WebGL is an integral part of its architecture, enabling GPU acceleration for real-time rendering of millions of data points. The library includes a modular layer system that allows software developers to build custom visualizations using predefined layers such as scatter plots, heatmaps, line layers, and 3D extrusions.

In addition to mapping applications, Deck.gl can be used for various other visualization tasks, making it suitable for domains beyond geospatial data. The library supports data formats such as GeoJSON and CSV and integrates seamlessly with mapping frameworks like Mapbox GL JS.

History

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Deck.gl was initially developed by Uber and was open-sourced in November 2016 to facilitate data visualization for both internal and external use cases.[1] The library was designed to handle large-scale data visualization needs, particularly related to geospatial data generated by Uber's services. Following its release, Deck.gl became part of the OpenJS Foundation's vis.gl project, which focuses on developing open-source libraries for web-based data visualization.

Performance

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Deck.gl is designed to optimize rendering performance by utilizing WebGL for GPU-accelerated computations. Instead of processing geographic projections on the CPU, Deck.gl performs these calculations on the GPU using vertex shaders, which allows it to handle large data sets more efficiently. The library also introduces an offset-based coordinate system that assumes a flat Earth model for local-level visualizations, reducing the need for expensive trigonometric calculations and improving performance.[2]

Applications

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Deck.gl is used by several companies for different visualization purposes:

  • Carto – for geospatial data analysis and visualization.
  • Uber – for visualizing transportation data and operational insights.
  • Foursquare (Unfolded) – for location-based data visualization.

Deck.gl’s capability to handle large datasets and render them in real-time has made it a valuable tool for businesses and organizations dealing with complex spatial data.

Notes

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  1. ^ "Visualize Data Sets on the Web with Uber Engineering's deck.gl Framework". Uber. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  2. ^ "How (Sometimes) Assuming the Earth is Flat Helps Speed Up Rendering in Deck.gl". Medium. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
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Category:Free GIS software Category:Geographical technology Category:JavaScript libraries Category:Keyhole Markup Language Category:Web mapping