An ArcGIS web map is an interactive display of geographic information that you can use to tell stories and answer questions. For example, you may find or create a map that addresses the question, How many people in the United States live within a reasonable walk or drive to a supermarket? This map has layers showing which neighborhoods are within a 10-minute drive or 1-mile walk to a supermarket, and for context, the map has a topographic basemap that includes cities, roads, and buildings overlaid on land cover and shaded relief imagery.
What do web maps contain?
Web maps contain a basemap; data layers; an extent; a legend; and navigation tools such as zoom, pan, place finders, and bookmarks. Many web maps also contain interactive elements such as a basemap gallery that lets you switch between maps like imagery and streets, plus measure tools, pop-up windows that display attributes about a specific feature, and buttons for playing data over time. They are constructed using data layers from services and files to communicate a specific message or provide specific map-based capabilities. Some web maps contain a series of annotated slides, each showing a specific view into the map with associated text and graphics. These are known as presentations.
Where can you use web maps?
Web maps can be opened in standard web browsers, mobile devices, and desktop map viewers. They can be shared through links, embedded in websites, and used to create browser-based and device-based applications.
How do you author web maps?
Maps can be created in a few basic steps and opened in standard web browsers, mobile devices, and desktop map viewers. They can be shared through links, embedded in websites, and used to create map-based web apps. When a map is shared, the author decides what to include with the map. For example, when the map is shared to the general public through the map viewer, the map includes options to switch basemaps, view a legend (if the map contains one), view details about the map, share, print, measure, and find locations on the map. Signing in to the map viewer with an ArcGIS account may reveal additional options for adding layers, performing analysis, getting directions, and so on. Maps embedded in websites and shared through apps often contain a focused set of tools for a specific purpose, such as collecting information, editing features, or comparing two maps side-by-side.