Super Path: A Necessary Primitive for Vector Graphic Formats

Most 2D graphic languages deployed on the Internet today lack the ability to represent the topology of contiguous regions efficiently. This is becoming problematic with the growing number of map-based applications. In this paper, we introduce a new graphical primitive, called Super Path, to extend existing languages for 2D vector graphics, such as SVG. This primitive provides a way to represent the contours in a 2D graphic with a set of reusable chunks of contour. We present the motivations for this work with examples of 2D maps and some associated problems related to their editing, rendering, or adaptation. We give some results, which were obtained using the new primitive.