Map Data Structure
Hexes
To build a global map, the Hivemapper Network divides the world into trillions of small hex-shaped tiles called hexes. Hexes are the atomic unit of the map, based on the H3 hexagonal hierarchical geospatial indexing system. Small H3 cells are intentionally used as the basis for the Hivemapper Network’s map tiles to avoid issues with “partial” tile contributions.
Hivemapper also supports the ability to assign map data to road vectors for customers who are using datasets such as OpenStreetMap.
Regions
Hexes are grouped into larger areas known as regions. The Hivemapper Network defines regions using standard administrative or statistical boundaries once contributors. For example, regions in Europe are defined at the NUTS 2 level of the NUTS system. Regions in the United States are defined using the U.S. Census Bureau's micropolitan statistical areas.
When you review the region pages on hivemapper.com, you will find useful data points about regions with active map contributors. These data points include the number of total and unique kilometers mapped, the number of contributors in the region, and the Region Progress score.
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