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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Mixed Vector and Raster Data

`geoshow`	Display map latitude and longitude data
`mapshow`	Display map data without projection
`makesymbolspec`	Create vector layer symbol specification
`displaym`	Display geographic data from display structure on `axesm`-based map

Vector Data

Map Axes

`geoplot`	Plot points, lines, and polygons on map (Since R2022a)
`geoiconchart`	Icon chart in geographic coordinates (Since R2024b)
`line`	Create primitive line
`animatedline`	Create animated line
`comet`	2-D comet plot

`axesm`-Based Maps

`plotm`	Project 2-D lines and points on `axesm`-based map
`plot3m`	Project 3-D lines and points on `axesm`-based map
`linem`	Project line on `axesm`-based map
`fillm`	Project filled 2-D patches on `axesm`-based map
`fill3m`	Project filled 3-D patches on `axesm`-based map
`patchm`	Project patches on `axesm`-based map
`patchesm`	Project patches as individual objects on `axesm`-based map

Raster Data

`pcolorm`	Project geolocated data grid in `h` = 0 plane on `axesm`-based map
`meshm`	Project regular data grid on `axesm`-based map
`surfm`	Project geolocated data grid on `axesm`-based map
`grid2image`	Display regular data grid as image

Greenwich System Conversions

`cart2grn`	Transform projected coordinates on `axesm`-based map to Greenwich system
`grn2eqa`	Convert from Greenwich to equal area coordinates
`eqa2grn`	Convert from equal area to Greenwich coordinates

Properties

Point Properties	Geographic point appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Line Properties	Geographic chart line appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Polygon Properties	Geographic polygon appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
IconChart Properties	Icon chart appearance and behavior (Since R2024b)

Topics

Vector Map Display

Display Vector Data as Points and Lines
This example shows how to display vector data as discrete points, and how to connect points with a great circle track and a rhumb line track.
Display Vector Data as Lines and Patches
This example shows how to create a map from vector data that contains connected line segments and closed polygons.
Create Maps Using Icons
Represent and display data, animate movement along paths, and annotate basemaps using icons on maps. (Since R2024b)
Control Color and Transparency of Icon Chart
Change the color or hide the background of an icon by using the color and transparency properties of the icon chart object. (Since R2024b)
Summary of Polygon Display Functions
This topic lists the available Mapping Toolbox™ patch and polygon display functions.

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

Create Map Displays with Geographic Data

Illustrates how to import geographic data with coordinates in latitude and longitude, display geographic data in a map display, and customize the display.