New in Deck.gl v8.9: WMS, Terrains, and Collision Filters
Deck.gl v8.9 introduces interesting new features:
- OGC Web Map Service (WMS) layers (Yes, they still exist),
- A terrain extension allows developers to render 2D data on a 3D surface, and
- Collision filters, hiding overlapping features and resulting in cleaner visualisation of dense data.
Deck.gl doesn’t get much recognition, but it looks like a serious web-mapping toolkit.
The market for open-source web-map libraries is getting crowded again. Some classic libraries are still around: OpenLayers, Leaflet, and MapboxGL (technically not open-source). With MapLibre, Gleo, and Deck.gl, some promising new implementations are on the rise. Technology-wise, map front-ends have stalled in the last couple of years. I hope this newfound competition results in advancements in the field.