Hey everyone! I have a signal tower and several locations where I'm collecting readings using the Google Maps API. My boss wants me to create a heatmap that visualizes the signal strength at different locations, which are measured using the RSSI values. However, every time I try to generate the heatmap, it seems to concentrate the heat around areas with a lot of markers, even if those signals aren't necessarily strong. For instance, a spot with many markers looks stronger than another location just 200 meters away that has fewer markers but a higher RSSI. I'm looking for advice—does anyone know how to make this work? Is there a library that can help with this issue?
5 Answers
Have you checked out deck.gl? It has some cool visualizations that might fit your needs. Just a heads-up though—I’m curious about how it performs on older computers since many of my clients have really outdated systems. Would love to know if it handles a lot of markers well!
It looks like you're dealing with a common challenge. Heat maps generally highlight areas with greater point density rather than true signal strength. You should check if the Google Maps API allows you to weigh the heatmap calculations based on RSSI values. If it doesn’t, you might want to explore other mapping libraries that can accommodate that. If you want to focus solely on RSSI without considering point density, you'll likely need a custom solution to display the data accurately.
Another approach could be to draw polygons and use color-coding to represent different strengths. This way, you can visually differentiate varied signal strengths without relying on dense point mapping.
I feel your pain! Google Maps' heatmaps can sometimes be misleading since they focus on point clustering rather than actual signal strength. I found adjusting the heatmap's radius and ensuring that each point's weight accurately represents the RSSI helped. I also added colored circles or markers sized according to the RSSI, which made it much clearer. That might work for you too!
I did try adding colored circles around the points, mimicking the signal strength with colors. I’ll see if my boss approves of that approach! I’ve noticed sometimes the heatmap behaves strangely, like when I zoom in or out; it tends to combine parts incorrectly. Hopefully, this change helps.