Tile layers published to and hosted on ArcGIS Online support fast visualization of large datasets using a collection of predrawn raster tiles or vector tiles. Tile layers are ideal when you need to view many features at once. For example, you may have parcel data for your county that you want to view for the entire county.
To take advantage of the rapid drawing performance of hosted tiles, you can publish them from the hosted feature layers or hosted feature layer views you own. Tiles published from hosted features reflect the changes you make to the feature data, and these tile layers automatically have pop-ups enabled.
Advantages of publishing tiles from hosted feature layers
You can take advantage of the following when publishing tiles from hosted feature layers:
- The hosted tile layer can be kept up to date with edits made in the source hosted feature layer.
- Raster tiles are built as needed by default. Tiles are created on demand when someone views the tile layer and are only created for the extent and scale being viewed. Once created, cached tiles are available for all subsequent views.
- For larger datasets, creating tiles of your hosted feature layer data improves display performance.
Tile layers are ideal for a variety of use cases. For example, you may have parcel data of your city’s tax lots. Parcel data is typically composed of many polygon features with many vertices. Publishing your parcel feature layer as a hosted tile layer provides fast visualization, while still providing pop-ups to query attributes. If the feature data changes—for instance, you adjust parcel boundaries in the hosted feature layer—the hosted tile layer automatically reflects the changes. If the attribute used to symbolize the data is updated, the tile layer automatically reflects the updated symbology.
Configure the feature layer prior to publishing tiles
Before publishing tiles from a feature layer, configure the feature layer as you intend the tile layer to be displayed. Once you publish the tile layer, you cannot reconfigure it. Additionally, updating the feature layer configuration after the tile layer has been published does not update the tile layer configuration.
Most importantly, you should configure style and scale range on the feature layer before publishing. Additional optional configurations include configuring pop-ups (used by raster tiles only), creating a view definition, and removing labels before publishing.
Follow these steps to configure a hosted feature layer or feature layer view prior to publishing a hosted tile layer from it:
- Sign in to your organization and click Content > My content.
- Set the scale range for the hosted feature layer or view that you want to see in the hosted tile layer.
The scale range of the hosted feature layer or view determines the maximum possible scale range for the hosted tile layer. Although you can adjust the scale range on the tile layer to be less inclusive, you cannot adjust the tile layer to be more inclusive than the scale range configured on the feature layer when you publish the tile layer. Therefore, you should set the scale range for the hosted feature layer or view that you want to see in the hosted tile layer. Once published, scale ranges for the hosted tile layer do not change when you change the scale range of the primary feature layer.
- Configure styling for the hosted feature layer, sublayer, or view.
Ensure the style you use meets these styling restrictions.
Hosted tile layers use the style of the feature layer as configured when you publish the tile layer.
- If possible, disable labels on the hosted feature layer, sublayer, or view, as automatic tiles are not available if the source feature layer is configured with labels.
If you cannot disable labels, you must use the manual option.
- If you want the hosted tile layer to inherit the pop-up configuration of the hosted feature layer when you publish, configure pop-ups on the feature layer before publishing the hosted tile layer.
You can configure pop-ups on the hosted tile layer after publishing. In either case, though, related records are currently not supported in tile layer pop-ups. Pop-ups are not currently supported with hosted vector tile layers.
- To filter features used by tile layers, create a hosted feature layer view that includes the features you require rather than set a filter on the hosted feature layer.
Hosted tile layers honor the view definition configured on the hosted feature layer view from which you publish.
Note:
Once the tile layer is published, you cannot modify or remove the view definition, and you cannot create a new view definition.
When you finish configuring the feature layer, you can publish a tile layer or publish a vector tile layer from it.
Considerations when publishing tiles from hosted feature layers
The following are restrictions you should consider when publishing hosted tile layers from a hosted feature layer or view:
- Calculate, add, and remove fields options are not available for hosted feature layers that have a related hosted tile layer.
- You cannot overwrite a hosted feature layer that has a related hosted tile layer.
- You cannot publish a hosted tile layer or hosted vector tile layer from a multipatch hosted feature layer or from a hosted feature layer with clustering enabled.
- Hosted tile layers and hosted vector tile layers do not support feature search, even when you publish them from a feature layer.
- If you published the source hosted feature layer from ArcGIS Pro, some styles may not appear in the hosted tile layer. The hosted tile layer will revert to default styles for the data type.
- There are styling restrictions on the hosted feature layer that could prevent you from publishing a hosted tile layer.
- Hosted vector tile layers published from a hosted feature layer or view cannot be replaced using another hosted vector tile layer. Similarly, hosted (raster) tile layers published from a hosted feature layer or view cannot be replaced using another hosted tile layer.
- The following style settings, when saved to the hosted feature layer item, will prevent you from publishing a hosted tile layer from the hosted feature layer:
- You apply and save the Heat Map style or Continuous Timeline style to a field in the hosted feature layer.
- You apply and save the Types and Size style to any polygon layer in the hosted feature layer.
- You apply and save the Discrete Time Periods style to a date field in the hosted feature layer.
- You apply and save any style to any of the following field types: big integer, date only, time only, timestamp offset.
The following considerations apply to hosted tile layers only:
- Tile generation uses credits, including when tiles are regenerated due to changes in the source hosted feature layer.
- At smaller scales, there are more features per tile in the tile layer. If you see delays in the time it takes to generate tiles automatically, precreate tiles for that scale and other scales where there is a delay.
- Change tracking is required for the edits you make in the source hosted feature layer to appear in the related hosted tile layer. When you publish a hosted tile layer with Create tiles automatically enabled, ArcGIS Online enables change tracking on the source feature layer; you cannot disable it.
- You can enable Create tiles automatically only on hosted tile layers published after June 26, 2017.
Publish a hosted tile layer from features
You can publish a hosted raster tile layer from the hosted feature layer or hosted feature layer view's item page or use the New item option in My content.
Publish from the item page
Follow these steps to publish a hosted tile layer from a hosted feature layer or feature layer view's item page:
- Sign in to your organization and click Content > My content.
- Open the item page of the hosted feature layer or view.
- On the Overview tab, click Publish > Tile layer.
- Ensure that the Create tiles automatically option is enabled unless you know you need to create tiles manually (for example, if the hosted feature layer from which you are publishing has labels saved to it).
You can leave the entire layer to have tiles built as people view the layer at different scales within the visible extent, or you can create tiles for specific tile levels after you publish and leave others to be built the first time they are viewed. Once tiles are built, they are available as part of the tile cache for all subsequent users.
You can precreate tiles in specific scales and areas that you know people will use. This allows the layer to load faster the first time it is viewed at that scale and extent. See Manage hosted tile layers for more information about tile creation.
Enabling Create tiles automatically also enables change tracking on the source hosted feature layer.
- Choose whether the layer's spatial reference matches ArcGIS Online basemaps (which uses Web Mercator) or another tile layer of your choosing.
If you choose Custom, provide a URL to any existing ArcGIS Server tile layer.
- Click Next.
- Provide a title.
- Choose a folder in My content where you want to save the item.
Alternatively, you can choose Create new folder from the menu and type a folder name to save the item in a new folder.
Folder names cannot contain 4-byte Unicode characters.
- If your organization has set up content categories, click Assign Category and select up to 20 categories to help people find your item.
You can also type in the Filter categories box to narrow the list of categories.
- Optionally, type tags that describe the item.
Separate the terms with commas (for example, Federal land is considered one tag, and Federal, land is considered two tags).
As you type, you can select any of the suggested tags that appear; suggestions are generated from tags you previously added.
- Optionally, provide a summary that describes the item.
- Click Save.
The hosted tile layer is created and its item page appears.
- To build tiles for specific levels and extents, or if you unchecked the Create tiles automatically check box, build tiles now.
Create a tile layer
Follow these steps to create a tile layer from a hosted feature layer or feature layer view using the New item option:
- Sign in to your organization and click Content > My content.
- Click New item > Tile layer > Raster tile layer > Browse for an existing feature layer and click Next.
- Choose the hosted feature layer or view from which to publish the tile layer and click Next.
You can type keywords in the search and use filters to locate the hosted feature layer or view.
- Leave the Create tiles automatically option enabled unless you know you need to create tiles manually (for example, if the hosted feature layer from which you are publishing has labels saved to it).
You can leave the entire layer to have tiles built as people view the layer at different scales within the visible extent, or you can create tiles for specific tile levels after you publish and leave others to be built the first time they are viewed. Once tiles are built, they are available as part of the tile cache for all subsequent users.
You can precreate tiles in specific scales and areas that you know people will use. This allows the layer to load faster the first time it is viewed at that scale and extent. See Manage hosted tile layers for more information on tile creation.
When the Create tiles automatically option is enabled, change tracking will be enabled on the source hosted feature layer.
- Choose whether the layer's spatial reference matches ArcGIS Online basemaps (which uses Web Mercator) or another tile layer of your choosing.
If you choose Custom, provide a URL to any existing ArcGIS Server tile layer.
- Click Next.
- Provide a title.
- Choose a folder in My content where you want to save the item.
Alternatively, you can choose Create new folder from the menu and type a folder name to save the item in a new folder.
Folder names cannot contain 4-byte Unicode characters.
- If your organization has set up content categories, click Assign Category and select up to 20 categories to help people find your item.
You can also type in the Filter categories box to narrow the list of categories.
- Optionally, type tags that describe the item.
Separate the terms with commas (for example, Federal land is considered one tag, and Federal, land is considered two tags).
As you type, you can select any of the suggested tags that appear; suggestions are generated from tags you previously added.
- Optionally, provide a summary that describes the item.
- Click Save.
The hosted tile layer is created and its item page appears.
- To build tiles for specific levels and extents, or if you disabled the Create tiles automatically option, build tiles now.
Publish a hosted vector tile layer from features
You can publish a hosted vector tile layer from the hosted feature layer or hosted feature layer view's item page or use the New item option in My content.
Publish from the item page
Follow these steps to publish a hosted vector tile layer from a hosted feature layer or feature layer view's item page:
- Sign in to your organization and click Content > My content.
- Open the item page of the hosted feature layer or view and click Publish > Vector Tile layer.
- Choose whether the layer's tiling schema matches ArcGIS Online basemaps (which uses Web Mercator) or another tile layer of your choosing.
If you choose Custom, provide a URL to any existing tile layer or map image layer. This allows the new tile layer to display properly in maps that use the tile layer or map image layer as a basemap.
- Click Next.
- Provide a title.
- Choose a folder in My content where you want to save the item.
Alternatively, you can choose Create new folder from the menu and type a folder name to save the item in a new folder.
Folder names cannot contain 4-byte Unicode characters.
- If your organization has set up content categories, click Assign Category and select up to 20 categories to help people find your item.
You can also type in the Filter categories box to narrow the list of categories.
- Optionally, type tags that describe the item.
Separate the terms with commas (for example, Federal land is considered one tag, and Federal, land is considered two tags).
As you type, you can select any of the suggested tags that appear; suggestions are generated from tags you previously added.
- Optionally, provide a summary that describes the item.
- Click Save.
The hosted vector tile layer is created and its item page appears.
Create a tile layer
Follow these steps to create a vector tile layer from a hosted feature layer or feature layer view using the New item option:
- Sign in to your organization and click Content > My content.
- Click New item > Tile layer > Vector tile layer > Browse for an existing feature layer and click Next.
- Choose the hosted feature layer or view from which to publish the vector tile layer and click Next.
You can type keywords in the search and use filters to locate the hosted feature layer or view.
- Choose whether the layer's tiling schema matches ArcGIS Online basemaps (which uses Web Mercator) or another tile layer of your choosing.
If you choose Custom, provide a URL to any existing tile layer or map image layer. This allows the new tile layer to display properly in maps that use the tile layer or map image layer as a basemap.
- Provide a title.
- Choose a folder in My content where you want to save the item.
Alternatively, you can choose Create new folder from the menu and type a folder name to save the item in a new folder.
Folder names cannot contain 4-byte Unicode characters.
- If your organization has set up content categories, click Assign Category and select up to 20 categories to help people find your item.
You can also type in the Filter categories box to narrow the list of categories.
- Optionally, type tags that describe the item.
Separate the terms with commas (for example, Federal land is considered one tag, and Federal, land is considered two tags).
As you type, you can select any of the suggested tags that appear; suggestions are generated from tags you previously added.
- Optionally, provide a summary that describes the item.
- Click Save.
The hosted vector tile layer is created and its item page appears.