All docsNMaps GL JS DocsExamplesUpdate a feature in realtime

Update a feature in realtime

This example shows how to change an existing feature on a map by updating its data.

It shows the progression of a path by adding new coordinates to a feature in a line layer. This approach is useful for visualizing real-time data sources.

Calling setData begins a new render cycle which makes the updates appear in real time without explicitly creating an animation. panTo then follows the leading edge of the line to keep it on screen.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>Update a feature in realtime</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1,maximum-scale=1,user-scalable=no" />
<script src="https://cdn.ndrive.com/nmapsgl/v1.6.6/nmaps-gl.js"></script>
<link href="https://cdn.ndrive.com/nmapsgl/v1.6.6/nmaps-gl.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<style>
body { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
#map { position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; width: 100%; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div id="map"></div>
<script src="https://d3js.org/d3.v3.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script>
// TO MAKE THE MAP APPEAR YOU MUST ADD YOUR ACCESS TOKEN
nmapsgl.accessToken = '<your access token here>';
const map = new nmapsgl.Map({
container: 'map',
style: 'Satellite',
zoom: 0
});
map.on('load', () => {
// We use D3 to fetch the JSON here so that we can parse and use it separately
// from GL JS's use in the added source. You can use any request method (library
// or otherwise) that you want.
d3.json(
'https://nmaps-gl.ndrive.com/nmaps-gl-js/assets/hike.geojson',
(err, data) => {
if (err) throw err;
// save full coordinate list for later
const coordinates = data.features[0].geometry.coordinates;
// start by showing just the first coordinate
data.features[0].geometry.coordinates = [coordinates[0]];
// add it to the map
map.addSource('trace', { type: 'geojson', data: data });
map.addLayer({
'id': 'trace',
'type': 'line',
'source': 'trace',
'paint': {
'line-color': 'yellow',
'line-opacity': 0.75,
'line-width': 5
}
});
// setup the viewport
map.jumpTo({ 'center': coordinates[0], 'zoom': 14 });
map.setPitch(30);
// on a regular basis, add more coordinates from the saved list and update the map
let i = 0;
const timer = window.setInterval(() => {
if (i < coordinates.length) {
data.features[0].geometry.coordinates.push(
coordinates[i]
);
map.getSource('trace').setData(data);
map.panTo(coordinates[i]);
i++;
} else {
window.clearInterval(timer);
}
}, 10);
}
);
});
</script>
</body>
</html>