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Localize Esri Vector Basemap styles

ArcGIS Data Appliance: Esri Vector Basemaps supports localizing select map labels into the languages listed below. The default map displays a primarily English global view. Localization is another form of basemap customization. As with other customization, there are two main ways to create a style for customization: add a style to the map in Map Viewer Classic or copy a root.json style from the USB flash drive. Review the information in the previous section on how to customize Esri Vector Basemap styles.

Localization changes the labels on the map for many of the small-scale features when the data supports it. Localize the map by changing the "text-field" value of the map style's resources\styles\root.json file. Use the corresponding codes for the language you want to display. It is also recommended that you change all "text-font" to an Arial Unicode font ("Arial Unicode MS Regular" or "Arial Unicode MS Bold") to allow all glyphs to display on the map. After the localization changes are applied to your JSON, validate the JSON using JSONLint or a similar tool, and update or upload the new localized map style as previously detailed in this help document. The edits can also be applied on the JSON through the Vector Tile Style Editor.

Languages and codes supported in Data Appliance 2024

The following language codes are supported in Data Appliance 2024:

LanguageCode

Arabic

ar

Bosnian

bs

Bulgarian

bg

Catalan

ca

Chinese (Hong Kong)

zh_h

Chinese (Simplified)

zh_s

Chinese (Taiwan)

zh_t

Croatian

hr

Czech

cs

Danish

da

Dutch

nl

English

en

Estonian

et

Finnish

fi

French

fr

German

de

Greek

el

Hebrew

he

Hungarian

hu

Indonesian

id

Italian

it

Japanese

ja

Korean

ko

Latvian

lv

Lithuanian

lt

Norwegian

no

Polish

pl

Portuguese (Brazil)

pt_b

Portuguese (Portugal)

pt_p

Romanian

ro

Russian

ru

Serbian

sr

Slovak

sk

Slovenian

sl

Spanish

es

Swedish

sv

Thai

th

Turkish

tr

Ukrainian

uk

Vietnamese

vi

Features supported for localization

The following features can have their "text-field" values changed to support these languages. The map labels that can be localized are primarily features displayed at small scale. At large scale, the default JSON labels the map in English "{_name_global}" or you can change it to the local language "{_name_local}" in each country where the map data supports it. Apply the small scale feature changes first, before any changes to large scale features. Using a text editor, find each "id" name and change its "text-field" value accordingly.

Small scale features

The default JSON for these features is "text-field": "{_name_global}". Listed below are the 88 "id" fields in the worldtopomap style JSON available for localization when the data supports it at primarily small scales. Other styles may have all or fewer of these features.

For example, to display the map in Chinese (Simplified), the JSON for each of these features changes "text-field": "{_name_global}" to "text-field": "{_name_zh_s}". For French, it changes to "text-field": "{_name_fr}", and so on.

Water point/Sea or ocean

Water area large scale/label/River

City large scale/medium

City small scale/large non capital

Water point/Island

Water area large scale/label/Lake or lake intermittent

City large scale/large

City small scale/large admin0 capital

Water point/Dam or weir

Water area medium scale/label/Default

City large scale/x large

City small scale/x large non capital

Water point/Playa

Water area small scale/label/Default

City small scale/town small non capital

City small scale/x large admin1 capital

Water point/Canal or ditch

Marine waterbody/label/small

City small scale/town large non capital

City small scale/x large admin0 capital

Water point/Stream or river

Marine waterbody/label/medium

City small scale/small non capital

Admin0 point/2x large

Water point/Lake or reservoir

Marine waterbody/label/large

City small scale/medium non capital

Continent

Water point/Bay or inlet

Marine waterbody/label/x large

City small scale/other capital

Disputed label point/Island

Water line/label/Default

Marine waterbody/label/2x large

City small scale/town large other capital

Disputed label point/Waterbody

Water line large scale/label/Default

Indigenous/label/Default

City small scale/small other capital

Landform/label/Round small

Water line medium scale/label/Default

Military/label/Default

City small scale/medium other capital

Landform/label/Round medium

Water line small scale/label/Default

Admin1 forest or park/label/Default

Admin0 point/x small

Landform/label/Round large

Water area/label/Dam or weir

Admin0 forest or park/label/Default

Admin0 point/small

Landform/label/Round x large

Water area/label/Playa

Admin1 area/label/x small

Admin0 point/medium

Landform/label/Round small

Water area/label/Canal or ditch

Admin1 area/label/small

Admin0 point/large

Landform/label/Round small point

Water area/label/Small river

Admin1 area/label/medium

Admin0 point/x large

Landform/label/Round medium

Water area/label/Large river

Admin1 area/label/large

City small scale/town small admin0 capital

Landform/label/Oblong medium point

Water area/label/Small lake or reservoir

Admin1 area/label/x large

City small scale/town large admin0 capital

Landform/label/Oblong large

Water area/label/Large lake or reservoir

Admin1 area/label/2x large

City small scale/small admin0 capital

Landform/label/Oblong large point

Water area/label/Bay or inlet

City large scale/town small

City small scale/medium admin0 capital

Landform/label/Oblong x large

Water area/label/Small island

City large scale/town large

City small scale/large other capital

Landform/label/Oblong x large point

Water area/label/Large island

City large scale/small

City small scale/x large admin2 capital

Disputed label point/Admin0

Large scale features

Apply JSON changes to the small scale features first. For large scale features, the default JSON is "text-field": "{_name_global}" and displays labels in English. If you are changing the map to the local language in each country where the data supports it, the JSON for these features changes to "text-field": "{_name_local}". Find and replace "{_name_global}" with "{_name_local}" throughout the JSON file. Listed below are the 47 "id" fields in the streetmap style JSON available for local language in each country where the data supports it. Other styles may have all or fewer of these features.

For example, "text-field": "{_name_global}" becomes "text-field": "{_name_local}".

Ferry/label/Ferry

Pedestrian/label/Default

Government/label/Default

Education/label/Default

Marine park/label/Default

Road/label/Pedestrian

Finance/label/Default

Medical/label/Default

Marine area/label/Default

Road/label/Local

Emergency/label/Default

Airport/label/Airport property

Ferry/label/Rail ferry

Road /label/Minor

Transportation/label/Default

Exit/Default

Railroad/label/Default

Road/label/Major

Beach/label/Default

Point of interest/Bus station

Trail or path/label/Default

Road/label/Highway

Golf course/label/Default

Point of interest/Rail station

Road tunnel/label/Pedestrian

Road/label/Freeway Motorway

Zoo/label/Default

Point of interest/General

Road tunnel/label/Local

Cemetery/label/Default

Retail/label/Default

Admin2 area/label/small

Road tunnel/label/Minor

Freight/label/Default

Landmark/label/Default

Admin2 area/label/large

Road tunnel/label/Major

Water and wastewater/label/Default

Openspace or forest/label/Default

Neighborhood

Road tunnel/label/Highway

Port/label/Default

Park or farming/label/Default

Building/label/Default

Road tunnel/label/Freeway Motorway

Industry/label/Default

Point of interest/Park

Other features

There are other features on the map with "text-field": "{_name}" in the JSON file. These features do not support localization; do not change their JSON code.

Changing the font

It is recommended that you change the fonts to Arial Unicode (bold or regular). Esri Vector Basemap styles can have different default fonts. For example, the default fonts for streetmap style are Arial Bold, Arial Italic, and Arial Regular. For the worldtopomap style, the default fonts are Noto Sans Bold, Noto Sans Italic, Noto Serif Regular, and Roboto Condensed Light Italic. Refer to the font list in the ArcGIS Data Appliance: Esri Vector Basemap Reference Document (v2) PDF in the Additional resources topic for complete details. Change the fonts to "text-font" : ["Arial Unicode MS Regular"]. Fonts that are bold by default can be changed to "text-font" : ["Arial Unicode MS Bold"]. There is no italic font in the Arial Unicode family.

Streetmap style in modern Chinese

An example of the streetmap style is shown in Chinese (Simplified).

Navigation style in Spanish

An example of the navigation style is shown in Spanish.

Additional JSON edits for Arabic language maps

To ensure that Arabic glyphs appear correctly on the map, either set the text-spacing setting to 0 (zero) or completely remove the "text-letter-spacing" style attribute from the root.json file. JSON styles may display this attribute as follows:

"text-letter-spacing" : 0.05,

Or the style may have more complex syntax such as the following:

"text-letter-spacing" : { "stops" : [[4, 0.1], [8, 0.18]] }

Either change these to "text-letter-spacing" : 0, or remove the lines completely. Be sure to validate any root.json before updating the file on your portal.