What are basemap layers?
A base map is a layer with geographic information that serves as a background. A base map provides context for additional layers that are overlaid on top of the base map. If your base map has raster layers, you cannot turn the layers off and on.
What is ESRI basemaps?
Ready-to-use digital maps for your apps. Bring the power of location to your applications and workflows with basemaps, which are ready-to-use maps that serve as the geographic foundation for your apps.
How do you use BaseMap layers?
To create a basemap layer, right-click the data frame name in the table of contents, click New Basemap Layer, and drag the layers into it. Although a basemap layer can contain any layer format, such as feature classes, shapefiles, Web services, or rasters, some content types are more appropriate for use in basemaps.
How are reference and background layers defined in a basemap?
Authoring a custom basemap allows you to define reference and background layers. Reference layers draw on top of operational layers, while background layers draw below operational layers. For example, you may include roads as a reference layer, and base imagery as a background layer.
Which is the source of a map image layer?
Map image layers are prerendered collections of map cartography organized by location and scale. These layers can include both features and imagery, and they can be displayed dynamically or as cached image tiles. The source of a map image layer is a map service, so the feature layers contained in the service may be identifiable in a web map.
How does ArcGIS use a basemap layer service?
ArcGIS:Imagery combines a layer of satellite imagery with a reference layer of labels and boundaries. See Basemap layer service to learn more. Reference layers are treated as a special case by most APIs and are displayed on top of all other layers in a map or scene.
How many basemap layers are there in a geology map?
For example, this geology map has two basemap layers—the terrain underneath as one basemap layer and the transportation, hydro, and place-names as a second basemap layer overlaid on top of geologic features: Basemaps tend to be relatively static and, in a typical setting, are updated on an infrequent basis.