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Maps are widely used to visualize geo-information so that map users can develop related understandings about the real world. Such a process for communicating information is largely dependent on the rendering of map elements using different symbols (points and linear and area symbols). To meet the demand of more dynamic and comprehensive visualization in map rendering, it is essential to improve the rendering efficiency. This paper focuses on these research topics, especially the difficulty in constructing and drawing linear map symbols. By employing shader language, a function-based linear symbol building and rendering method is presented in this paper. The basic idea of this function-based method is to build a map-rendering solution that employs graphic processing unit (GPU) acceleration technology to improve the rendering efficiency. A ‘function’ is used to represent the algorithm that draws certain …