1. A computer-implemented method for pre-fetching remote resource data to a mapping application executing on a client computing device for subsequent display on the client computing device, the method comprising: sending a request for mapping data from a client computing device to a remote mapping system; receiving map data at the client computing device in response to the sent request for mapping data, wherein the received map tile data includes: (1) image data describing an image of a first graphic feature in a vector format, the image data specifying mathematical descriptions of points and paths that make up the image of the first graphic feature, (2) at least one of: (i) remote resource data including a raster image of a second graphic feature, or (ii) a reference to the remote resource data including the raster image; storing the remote resource data or reference in a cache memory of the client computing device; and in response to a subsequent user request, retrieving the remote resource data or the reference from the cache memory of the client computing device without further communication between the remote mapping system, for display at the client computing device.