Add a map tile layer

Learn how to add a map tile layer to a map.

A map tile layer, also known as an image tile layer, displays raster images such as satellite photography or hillshading. You can combine map tile layers to enhance the display of a street basemap layer, position the layer on top of existing layers, or position it under existing layers. When positioned above other layers, you need to give the map tile layer a level of transparency so that users can see through it to the basemap. This combined basemap layer technique is used to enhance overall visualization.

In this tutorial, you add a Santa Monica contours map tile layer, which is a basemap layer composed of jpeg images, on top of a street basemap layer.

Prerequisites

Steps

Get the starter app

Select a type of authentication and follow the steps to create a new app.

Set up authentication

Set developer credentials

Use the API key or OAuth developer credentials so your application can access ArcGIS services.

Update the map

1. Center the map on [-118.44, 34.03]. This will set the map focus to Santa Monica, California.

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       map.setView(
         new ol.View({
   
           center: ol.proj.fromLonLat([-118.44, 34.03]),
   
           zoom: 11
         })
       );
   

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Create a tile layer

To load the contour tiles, you will create an XYZ source, using an XYZ URL. This is a URL with {x}, {y} and {z} elements which the source substitutes with numbers when requesting each tile. The source can be displayed using a Tile layer with the source property. Set the opacity to 0.3 so that the basemap can be seen through the contours layer.

The URL for the Santa Monica contours map tile service is:

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https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/Santa_Monica_contours_(map_tiles)/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

1. Inside olms load handler, create an XYZ source using the XYZ url for the contours layer.

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       const basemapId = "arcgis/light-gray";
   
       const basemapURL = `https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles/${basemapId}?token=${accessToken}`;
   
       olms.apply(map, basemapURL)
   
         .then(function (map) {
           const contoursURL = "https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/Santa_Monica_contours_(map_tiles)/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}";
   
           const contoursSource = new ol.source.XYZ({
             url: contoursURL,
   
             // Attribution text retrieved from https://arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=5fd812155876416997c1a03e841e8821
             attributions: ["| City of Santa Monica GIS Data"]
   
           });
   

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2. Create a Tile layer using the XYZ source, with 0.3 opacity. Add it to the map using map.addLayer.

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         .then(function (map) {
           const contoursURL = "https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/Santa_Monica_contours_(map_tiles)/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}";
   
           const contoursSource = new ol.source.XYZ({
             url: contoursURL,
   
           });
   
           const tileLayer = new ol.layer.Tile({
             source: contoursSource,
             opacity: 0.3
           });
   
           map.addLayer(tileLayer);
   

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3. Add the data attribution for the map tile layer source.

   • Go to the Santa Monica contours item.
   • Scroll down to the Acknowledgments section and copy its value.
   • Paste the copied value to the attributions property.
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           .then(function (map) {
             const contoursURL = "https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/Santa_Monica_contours_(map_tiles)/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}";
     
             const contoursSource = new ol.source.XYZ({
               url: contoursURL,
     
               // Attribution text retrieved from https://arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=5fd812155876416997c1a03e841e8821
               attributions: ["| City of Santa Monica GIS Data"]
     
             });
     
             const tileLayer = new ol.layer.Tile({
               source: contoursSource,
               opacity: 0.3
             });
     
             map.addLayer(tileLayer);
     

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Run the app

Run the app.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional location services in these tutorials: