Patent ID: 8243102

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for rendering a three-dimensional map on a display device comprising: determining, using a computer device, a map surface plane and a viewing plane, wherein the viewing plane is at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to the map surface plane; determining, using the computer device, a first unit of area on the map surface plane, the first unit of area representing a map area viewed at a first zoom level through the viewing plane when the viewing plane is at a zero angle of incidence with respect to the map surface plane, wherein the first unit of area has two dimensions along the map surface plane; determining, using the computer device, a boundary on the viewing plane where a projection of a first dimension along the map surface plane of the first unit of area onto a first dimension along the viewing plane is at a threshold, when the viewing plane is at the non-zero angle of incidence with respect to the map surface plane; and rendering on the viewing plane a projection of a first area of the map surface plane on one side of the boundary using a first density of map data and rendering a projection of a second area of the map surface plane on a second side of the boundary using a second density of map data lower than the first density of map data; wherein the boundary is determined as a function of a zoom level, a ratio of a projection of the first dimension of the first unit of area on the viewing plane to an incremental distance along the first dimension of the viewing plane, and an angle of incidence between the viewing plane and the map surface plane.