Need advice on libraries/strategy to improve performance of my ruby based GIS tool
I have created a web application that dynamically renders GIS data (ie polygons, lines,multi-polygons-etc) for display in a Google Maps application using tiled images (ImageMapType).

The application accepts a key word to identify a vector data record and a fill color to be used in the polygon.  This is done in two steps where the client application sends a set of keywords and colors and in return we return a layer key.  Then, the client uses the layer key to retrieve tiles to be placed on the map.  Every request is unique with varying sets of keywords and colors.  Caching the final image output would be pointless.

To create the tiles I use RMagick with my custom rolled tile maker(all ruby code).  Average response time for a Tile today is 1.5seconds.  I am looking for advice on strategies/libraries/open source tools to significantly reduce this time.  

In my research I keep coming across GDAL, but I dont see how to generate images using it.  (BTW - This was my first coding project ever and I dont know C/C++.)  Even if some C/C++ libraries can take a vector stream and converted it to png image tile, would in fact be way faster?  Basically RMagick is a ruby app on top of ImageMagic - a c application.

What do you guys think?  What are my options?
Need advice on libraries/strategy to improve performance of my ruby based GIS tool
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I have created a web application that dynamically renders GIS data (ie polygons, lines,multi-polygons-etc) for display in a Google Maps application using tiled images (ImageMapType).

The application accepts a key word to identify a vector data record and a fill color to be used in the polygon.  This is done in two steps where the client application sends a set of keywords and colors and in return we return a layer key.  Then, the client uses the layer key to retrieve tiles to be placed on the map.  Every request is unique with varying sets of keywords and colors.  Caching the final image output would be pointless.

To create the tiles I use RMagick with my custom rolled tile maker(all ruby code).  Average response time for a Tile today is 1.5seconds.  I am looking for advice on strategies/libraries/open source tools to significantly reduce this time.  

In my research I keep coming across GDAL, but I dont see how to generate images using it.  (BTW - This was my first coding project ever and I dont know C/C++.)  Even if some C/C++ libraries can take a vector stream and converted it to png image tile, would in fact be way faster?  Basically RMagick is a ruby app on top of ImageMagic - a c application.

What do you guys think?  What are my options?