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Vector and Raster Map Display

Display vector or raster data on map

Vector data represents events, locations, and objects using points, lines, and polygons. For example, you can represent a city by using a point, a river by using a line, and a country by using a polygon. Raster data stores gridded data, such as satellite imagery and terrain elevation grids, in matrices. Use these functions to display vector and raster data on maps.

Functions

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geoshowDisplay map latitude and longitude data
mapshowDisplay map data without projection
makesymbolspecCreate vector layer symbol specification
displaymDisplay geographic data from display structure on axesm-based map

Map Axes

geoplotPlot points, lines, and polygons on map (Since R2022a)
geoiconchartIcon chart in geographic coordinates (Since R2024b)
lineCreate primitive line
animatedlineCreate animated line
comet2-D comet plot

axesm-Based Maps

plotmProject 2-D lines and points on axesm-based map
plot3mProject 3-D lines and points on axesm-based map
linemProject line on axesm-based map
fillmProject filled 2-D patches on axesm-based map
fill3mProject filled 3-D patches on axesm-based map
patchmProject patches on axesm-based map
patchesmProject patches as individual objects on axesm-based map
pcolormProject geolocated data grid in h = 0 plane on axesm-based map
meshmProject regular data grid on axesm-based map
surfmProject geolocated data grid on axesm-based map
grid2imageDisplay regular data grid as image
cart2grnTransform projected coordinates on axesm-based map to Greenwich system
grn2eqaConvert from Greenwich to equal area coordinates
eqa2grnConvert from equal area to Greenwich coordinates

Properties

Point PropertiesGeographic point appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Line PropertiesGeographic chart line appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Polygon PropertiesGeographic polygon appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
IconChart PropertiesIcon chart appearance and behavior (Since R2024b)

Topics

Vector Map Display

Raster Map Display

  • Types of Data Grids and Raster Display Functions
    You can display regular and geolocated data grids in many ways, such as a 2-D indexed image where color represents the data value, or as a 3-D surface with light shading.
  • Fit Gridded Data to the Graticule
    A graticule is a grid of meridians and parallels used to guide the placement of features on a map. Using a finer graticule can give greater precision at the cost of more effort and time.
  • Create 3-D Displays with Raster Data
    This example shows how to create a 3-D display of raster data, where the z-coordinate represents the data values. Change the viewpoint to get the appearance of depth in the map.

Featured Examples