A tile layer draws a set of web-accessible tiles that reside on a server. When the web tile layer draws in ArcGIS AllSource, a server request is made for the tiles needed to draw the layer at the current map extent and map scale. A tile layer can be used to draw a collection of tiles hosted at a known URL, or it can reference a cached map or image service.
The server does not recompute the map display. Instead, it retrieves the tiles for the appropriate map scale that have been precomputed and stored on the server. Only the images needed for display at the appropriate screen resolution are retrieved.
Tip:
Web tile layers are created at specific map scales. The scales for cached services are listed on the Source tab on the layer properties dialog box for the web tile layer. In ArcGIS AllSource, you are not restricted to these specific map scales. You can still zoom to any scale you want. However, since no new images are created by the server, ArcGIS AllSource displays cached images from the closest available cache scale.
View web tile layers in the Contents pane
Web tile layers are added to the Contents pane. You can expand a web tile layer in the Contents pane to see its sublayers. However, you cannot add, remove, or change the visibility of the sublayers.
Get information about a web tile layer
If the web tile layer can be queried, you can click anywhere in the map view to open a pop-up and view the layer's attributes. You can also right-click the layer in the Contents pane to view its properties, configure pop-ups, or view and edit its metadata.
Cached scales
For information about cached scales, the web tile layer properties Source tab displays information such as the map extent, data (service) type, URL, service name, and default coordinate system of the service.
Navigate your map
As you pan, zoom, and navigate to any desired map scale, ArcGIS AllSource displays the cached images closest to your display scale in your map.