ArcGIS Guide: Adding Layers to My Map

In ArcGIS Online, you work with geographic data through layers. Layers, also called web layers, are logical collections of geographic data that are used to create maps and scenes; they are also the basis for geographic analysis. 

You can add layers to your map by clicking on the "Add" button on the left hand side of the map view.

ArcGIS provides an extensive collection of maps you can easily add to your map.

Select "Search for Layers" under the Add button.

Click on the arrow next to "My Content" and select "ArcGIS Online "

ArcGIS offers a large collection of maps you can add to the map view.  

However, many are limited to specific regions.

When determining which layers to add, be sure to limit your search.

Click on the filter icon. (located under the "Search for layers" box) 

The filter menu will appear.  Choose "Only show content within map area" as shown below.  You will only see map layers you can add that are specific to the map area on map view. 

You do not have to select this filter but remember, not all locations have maps so you will get different results based on this filter.

To search for particular map within your map area, type the word that best describes the type of information you want to add to your map.

In the example below I used the word "income".

Browse through the list to locate one that you want to add to your map.

To learn more information about the map, simply click on the title to get a longer description.

To add a map, click on the plus sign at the corner of box or the blue button "Add to Map"

Feature Layer:

A feature layer is a grouping of similar geographic features, for example, buildings, parcels, cities, roads, and earthquake epicenters. Features can be points, lines, or polygons (areas). Feature layers are most appropriate for visualizing data on top of your basemaps. You can set properties for feature layers—such as style, transparency, visible range, refresh interval and labels that control how the layer appears in the map. Using a feature layer, you can view, edit, analyze, and execute queries against features and their attributes.

Tile Layer

ArcGIS Online includes a variety of basemaps that provide immediate geographic context for your operational layers. The basemaps are stored as tile layers, designed for fast and simple access by web maps, web apps, ArcGIS, and nearly any mapping software application. Tile layers come in different formats based on the original source data. Tile layers can be stored as prerendered raster tiles or as vector tiles. 

Raster Tile Layer

Raster tile layers deliver basemaps to your client application as image files (for example, JPG or PNG format) that have been prerendered and stored on the server and are displayed as is by the client. Raster tile layers are most appropriate for basemaps that give your maps geographic context such as imagery (as in the World Imagery basemap) or feature-based maps such as in the Topographic, National Geographic, Oceans, and other basemaps. Raster tile layers can also be composed of static operational layers such as thematic maps of your data.

Vector Tile Layer

Vector tile layers deliver map data as vector files (for example, PBF format) and include one or more layers that are rendered on the client based on a style delivered with the layer. Vector tiles include similar data to that found in some (but not all) of the available raster tile basemaps, but they store a vector representation of the data; that is, geographic features are represented as points, lines, and polygons in a format understood by the client application. Unlike raster tile layers, vector tile layers can adapt to the resolution of their display device and be restyled for multiple uses. Vector tiles have a smaller file size than raster tiles, which translates to faster maps and better performance.