Animate a point along a route
Use Turf to smoothly animate a point along the distance of a line.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Animate a point along a route</title>
<meta property="og:description" content="Use Turf to smoothly animate a point along the distance of a line." />
<meta charset='utf-8'>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel='stylesheet' href='https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@4.7.1/dist/maplibre-gl.css' />
<script src='https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@4.7.1/dist/maplibre-gl.js'></script>
<style>
body { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
html, body, #map { height: 100%; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<style>
.overlay {
position: absolute;
top: 10px;
left: 10px;
}
.overlay button {
font: 600 12px/20px 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
background-color: #3386c0;
color: #fff;
display: inline-block;
margin: 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
border: none;
cursor: pointer;
border-radius: 3px;
}
.overlay button:hover {
background-color: #4ea0da;
}
</style>
<script
src="https://www.unpkg.com/turf@2.0.0/turf.min.js"
charset="utf-8"
></script>
<div id="map"></div>
<div class="overlay">
<button id="replay">Replay</button>
</div>
<script>
const map = new maplibregl.Map({
container: 'map',
style: 'https://api.maptiler.com/maps/streets/style.json?key=get_your_own_OpIi9ZULNHzrESv6T2vL',
center: [-96, 37.8],
zoom: 3
});
// San Francisco
const origin = [-122.414, 37.776];
// Washington DC
const destination = [-77.032, 38.913];
// A simple line from origin to destination.
const route = {
'type': 'FeatureCollection',
'features': [
{
'type': 'Feature',
'geometry': {
'type': 'LineString',
'coordinates': [origin, destination]
}
}
]
};
// A single point that animates along the route.
// Coordinates are initially set to origin.
const point = {
'type': 'FeatureCollection',
'features': [
{
'type': 'Feature',
'properties': {},
'geometry': {
'type': 'Point',
'coordinates': origin
}
}
]
};
// Calculate the distance in kilometers between route start/end point.
const lineDistance = turf.lineDistance(route.features[0], 'kilometers');
const arc = [];
// Number of steps to use in the arc and animation, more steps means
// a smoother arc and animation, but too many steps will result in a
// low frame rate
const steps = 500;
// Draw an arc between the `origin` & `destination` of the two points
for (let i = 0; i < lineDistance; i += lineDistance / steps) {
const segment = turf.along(route.features[0], i, 'kilometers');
arc.push(segment.geometry.coordinates);
}
// Update the route with calculated arc coordinates
route.features[0].geometry.coordinates = arc;
// Used to increment the value of the point measurement against the route.
let counter = 0;
map.on('load', () => {
// Add a source and layer displaying a point which will be animated in a circle.
map.addSource('route', {
'type': 'geojson',
'data': route
});
map.addSource('point', {
'type': 'geojson',
'data': point
});
map.addLayer({
'id': 'route',
'source': 'route',
'type': 'line',
'paint': {
'line-width': 2,
'line-color': '#007cbf'
}
});
map.addLayer({
'id': 'point',
'source': 'point',
'type': 'symbol',
'layout': {
'icon-image': 'airport_15',
'icon-rotate': ['get', 'bearing'],
'icon-rotation-alignment': 'map',
'icon-overlap': 'always',
'icon-ignore-placement': true
}
});
function animate() {
// Update point geometry to a new position based on counter denoting
// the index to access the arc.
point.features[0].geometry.coordinates =
route.features[0].geometry.coordinates[counter];
// Calculate the bearing to ensure the icon is rotated to match the route arc
// The bearing is calculate between the current point and the next point, except
// at the end of the arc use the previous point and the current point
point.features[0].properties.bearing = turf.bearing(
turf.point(
route.features[0].geometry.coordinates[
counter >= steps ? counter - 1 : counter
]
),
turf.point(
route.features[0].geometry.coordinates[
counter >= steps ? counter : counter + 1
]
)
);
// Update the source with this new data.
map.getSource('point').setData(point);
// Request the next frame of animation so long the end has not been reached.
if (counter < steps) {
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}
counter = counter + 1;
}
document
.getElementById('replay')
.addEventListener('click', () => {
// Set the coordinates of the original point back to origin
point.features[0].geometry.coordinates = origin;
// Update the source layer
map.getSource('point').setData(point);
// Reset the counter
counter = 0;
// Restart the animation.
animate(counter);
});
// Start the animation.
animate(counter);
});
</script>
</body>
</html>