MapServer rendering at the lowest zoom levels

Question

I am developing a web mapping application based on OpenLayers and using a WMS layer from MapServer (the source data for this layer is stored in PostGIS database) and I am facing the following problem: MapServer eliminates a lot of features at the lowest zoom levels.

Zoom Level 10:

Zoom Level 7:

Zoom Level 5:

Zoom Level 4:

Zoom Level 3:

I guess it is because MapServer doesn't display features with area less than one pixel. Is it possible to render such features at lowest zoom levels (for example as one pixel features)?

UPD.: I'm talking about orange features, green ones - it is part of OSM tiles.

Here is my mapfile:

MAP
SIZE 800 600
MAXSIZE 4096

IMAGECOLOR 255 255 255
IMAGETYPE PNG

OUTPUTFORMAT
    NAME "png"
    EXTENSION "png"
    MIMETYPE "image/png"
    DRIVER AGG/PNG
    IMAGEMODE RGBA
    FORMATOPTION "INTERLACE=OFF"
END

EXTENT -180 -90 180 90
PROJECTION
    "init=epsg:4326"
END

WEB
    METADATA
        wms_onlineresource "${request.route_url('mapserver.ows')}"
        wfs_onlineresource "${request.route_url('mapserver.ows')}"
        ows_title "mcx_pk"
        wms_enable_request "*"
        # ows_service_onlineresource  "${request.route_url('mapserver.ows')}"
        wms_srs "epsg:4326 epsg:3857 epsg:900913"
    END
END

LAYER
    NAME "fields"
    CONNECTION "user=pk password=******* dbname=pk host=***.info"
    CONNECTIONTYPE postgis
    PROCESSING "CLOSE_CONNECTION=DEFER"
    DATA "wkb_geometry from mask_f using unique ogc_fid using srid=4326"
    TYPE line
    DUMP TRUE
    TEMPLATE dummy.html
    PROJECTION
        "init=epsg:4326"
    END
    EXTENT -180 -90 180 90
    METADATA
        gml_include_items   "all"
        wms_include_items   "all"
    END
    CLASS
        STYLE
            COLOR 255 136 0
        END
    END
END

Answer 1

Try adding WIDTH 1 to your STYLE block.

Answer 2

You could try creating a new POINT layer of the feature centroids, and set this layer to be visible when zoomed out.

You could then also use the new CLUSTERING functions when points are too close together.

Answer 3

Undocumented feature fixed my problem:

  PROCESSING "APPROXIMATION_SCALE=FULL"

For more details see ticket #4143

Answer 4

OKay so what you need is to use SLD (Styled Layer Descriptors ). These are basicaly xml structured files where you can specify the design and control the rendering of a wms layer. IN context of your question, you can specify which fetures to render at which zoom level. So for the road network layer, in its sld you can specify at which zoom levels you want to render this layer. check this out:

http://mapserver.org/ogc/sld.html