Basemaps

What is a Basemap?

Basemaps are reference maps that appear behind your data layers. You can use basemaps to view satellite imagery, street names, topography, and many other types of information.

Selecting a Basemap

Click the Other Panels button then click Basemap Gallery to view available basemaps. Cilck the thumbnail image for any basemap to select it and display it in the map window.

Adding a New Basemap

You can add any basemap that is available as a web service to your Basemap Gallery. In the Basemap Gallery panel, enter a name and the web service URL for the new basemap, and click Save. The basemap you added will appear in the Basemap Gallery.

Hundreds of basemaps are available as web services from ArcGIS Online. Many governments and private entities also offer publicly available basemaps. For example, the United States Geological Survey and the State of Massachusetts offer public basemaps through web services.

Comparing Two Basemaps

Click and drag the basemap slider across the map window to compare two basemaps. A shaded relief topography map displays to the left of the slider. The basemap you selected in the Basemap Gallery displays on the right. A future release of inSITE will allow comparison of any two basemaps.