Creating Dynamic Maps from Info from Database

<?php

$regions='calabria,abruzzo,toscana';
$regions=explode(',',$regions);

// Create image instances
$src_path = $modx->getOption('assets_path').'images/map/';
$src_url =  $modx->getOption('assets_url').'images/map/';

$dest = imagecreatefromgif($src_path.'italia.gif');

//Get the sizes of image   
    $srcx=imageSX($dest);
    $srcy=imageSY($dest);

// Copy and merge images together
foreach ($regions as $region){
    $src = imagecreatefromgif($src_path.$region.'.gif');
    imagecopymerge($dest, $src, 0, 0, 0, 0, $srcx, $srcy, 100);
}


// Save the image as a GIF
$img = imagegif($dest,$src_path.'map.gif');

// Output and free from memory
$out = '<img src="'.$src_url.'map.gif"/>';
// Free from memory

imagedestroy($dest);
imagedestroy($src);


return $out;