Tile layers are useful when you need to expose a map or layer on the web for the visualization of relatively static data.
The basemaps that ArcGIS Online provides are tile layers that give immediate geographic context for your operational layers. For example, you can include a basemap with tiles of streets in your map to provide a visual reference for the street signs in a feature layer that is also in the map. The basemaps included with ArcGIS Online are designed for fast and simple access by web maps, web apps, ArcGIS, and nearly any mapping software application.
Tile layers come in various formats based on the original source data. Tile layers can be stored as prerendered raster tiles or as vector tiles. Both raster and vector tiles are designed to provide high-performance and high-scalability delivery of map data for visualization purposes.
Raster tile layer
A raster tile layer is composed of cached raster tiles, also called map tile caches. These are delivered to client applications as image files (for example, JPG or PNG format) that have been prerendered and stored in ArcGIS Online. The tiles are statically displayed 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.
The cached tiles are fast to transmit over the internet and are easily understood by most common mapping software applications, so they are compatible not only with ArcGIS and web apps built with the ArcGIS APIs, but also third-party apps that use OGC protocols such as WMTS. Raster tile layers can do the following:
- Work well across a wide range of applications and devices (web, desktop, and mobile), including desktop applications, such as ArcMap, and older versions of web browsers.
- Provide high-end cartographic capabilities such as advanced label placement and symbology.
- Support compressed three-band imagery and elevation data.
- You can print them from web mapping applications.
Raster tile layer creation
The following sections describe the methods you can use to create a raster tile layer in ArcGIS Online.
From a service definition file
A service definition file (.sd) is an archive of the source data or references to the source data that is needed to generate the cache.
Use a service definition file to publish a hosted tile layer when you want ArcGIS Online to generate the layer's cache. The source data is copied to ArcGIS Online, so you can choose to generate cached tiles for the desired scale levels in ArcGIS Online whenever needed.
Once you publish the hosted tile layer, edits to the source data cannot be used to update the tile layer.
The following functionality is available when you publish a hosted tile layer from a service definition file:
- Build tiles—You can adjust the visible range and build tile caches for the extents you specify.
- Visible range—You can modify the extent and scales at which the tile layer will draw.
- Update content—You can replace the content of the tile layer with content from another layer.
See Publish hosted tile layers from files for instructions to publish from a service definition file.
From a tile package
A tile package is an archive of cached tiles generated locally.
Note:
This workflow can be time consuming for large packages because the tile content is uploaded to ArcGIS Online.
The cache already exists, so there is no need to build tiles after you publish from a tile package.
The following functionality is available when you publish a hosted tile layer from a tile package:
- Visible range—You can modify the extent and scales at which the tile layer will draw.
- Update content—You can replace the content of the tile layer with content from another layer.
See Publish hosted tile layers from files for instructions to publish from a tile package.
From a hosted feature layer
If you have a hosted feature layer that is frequently accessed by users for viewing purposes only, you can publish a hosted tile layer from the hosted feature layer. Having cached tiles improves rendering times as compared to accessing the same data in the hosted feature layer.
It is recommended that you publish a hosted vector tile layer in this case; however, if you cannot publish a vector tile layer, you can publish a hosted tile layer from the feature layer instead.
The following functionality is available when you publish a hosted tile layer from a hosted feature layer or hosted feature layer view:
- Build tiles—You can adjust the visible range and build tile caches for the extents you specify.
- Visible range—You can modify the extent and scales at which the tile layer will draw.
- Update content—After features are edited in the associated hosted feature layer, rebuild the tiles in the tile layer to incorporate changes from the feature layer.
See Publish hosted tiles from hosted features for instructions.
Vector tile layers
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 static raster tile layers, vector tile layers can adapt to the resolution of their display device and be restyled for multiple uses. The combination of tile access performance and vector drawing allows the tiles to adapt to any resolution of the display, which may vary across devices.
In Map Viewer Classic, you can customize the style of the vector tile layer and the contents of the map. The following also apply to vector tile layers:
- They can be used to generate many map styles using a single set of vector tiles. You can customize vector tile layers—for example, hide their visibility, change symbols and fonts, or change languages for labels—without having to regenerate tiles.
- They display at high resolution (for example, on retina devices) without the need for generating separate, high-resolution versions. Vector tiles can be displayed at any scale level with clear symbology and labels in desktop applications such as ArcGIS Pro.
- They can be generated quicker and with fewer hardware resources than corresponding raster tiles. This reduces the cost to generate the tiles.
- Vector tiles are much smaller in size than corresponding raster tiles with rendered symbology. This slightly reduces the cost to store and serve the tiles.
- Vector tile layers can be projected into various coordinate systems, using desktop applications such as ArcGIS Pro, without distortion of labels and other symbols.
- When you publish a vector tile layer from ArcGIS Pro (2.8 and later releases), you can simultaneously publish an associated feature layer. Editors can update the data in the feature layer and you can rebuild the vector tile cache to incorporate the edits into the vector tile layer.
- You can publish a vector tile layer from a hosted feature layer, edit the data in the hosted feature layer, and rebuild the vector tile cache to incorporate the edits into the vector tile layer.
For more information on vector tile layers, view the following ArcGIS StoryMaps content:
Vector tile layers have the best performance on machines with newer hardware, and they can be displayed in the current versions of most desktop browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. You can add vector tile layers as operational layers or basemaps to Map Viewer, Map Viewer Classic, or Scene Viewer.
Vector basemaps include a number of styles that you can customize. Visit the Esri vector basemap group to see sample vector styles you can use as well as what can be done to change the look of the map. Sample styles include simple color changes and more involved redesigns using sprite and font changes. The vector basemaps are updated frequently and include regular contributions from the GIS community.
With ArcGIS Pro 1.2 and later, you can share a vector tile package to your organization and publish the uploaded vector tile package as a hosted layer. With ArcGIS Pro 1.4 and later, you can publish a hosted vector tile layer from a map in ArcGIS Pro directly to ArcGIS Online.
When to create each type of tile layer
Both raster tile layers and vector tile layers support a wide range of symbology sets and display features faster than feature or dynamic map layers because they only need to access the tile caches rather than source data. If you need this functionality, publish a tile layer. But when should you use a raster tile layer and when should you use a vector tile layer?
The main purpose of raster tile layers is to provide an image basemap to give important context for the vector layers in the map. For example, roads present in imagery have variable width and shoulders that allow ingress and egress of emergency vehicles, allow storage of material and equipment, and provide other decision support information. Additionally, orthoimage basemaps, accessed as raster tile layers, are often used to revise outdated vector landbase layers. Raster tiles can also serve elevation data that is used to provide terrain for 3D scenes.
Vector tile layers can be scaled and projected into various coordinate systems without distortion of labels and other symbols. They use less disk space and take less time to build caches than raster tile layers.
When you publish a vector tile layer from ArcGIS Pro, you can publish an associated feature layer with it. If you need to update the vector data included in the vector tile layer on a frequent basis (hourly, daily, weekly), publish an associated feature layer with the vector tile layer. When you do this, you and the other editors with whom you share the feature layer can edit data in the feature layer. You can then periodically rebuild the vector tile layer cache to incorporate the edits made in the feature layer.
If the data doesn't get updated often or at all, you can publish only the vector tile layer. If you do need to update the content of this type of vector tile layer, you can replace it with another vector tile layer.