ArcGIS Online Basemaps - licensing

[DavidAllan1]

Hi,

Can someone clear up the licensing position for me. If I want to use the arcgis online basemaps (world imagery and world topographic map probably) in an arcgis server based application, does the statement in the license summary (my emphasis)

You may...
'Use ArcGIS Online maps and map layers, imagery, and geometry services only in conjunction with Esri software or an
ArcGIS Online subscription for projects and applications that are both internal and external use'

mean that this is only possible if the application is made publically accessible as well as for internal business use, or can it be only externally accessible via a login process/vpn?

Thanks

Dave

[MichaelLohr]

The ArcGIS Online mapping site was originally set up as a free mapping service where all you needed was an ESRI global account set up. Then, you could make and save maps, make Map Groups for selected people, invite other ESRI account holders, have maps that were either completely public access, or only accessed by users that you invited, use ESRI basemaps, add your own layers if you had ArcGIS Server, etc, etc.

The program has evolved now to where the free map services are only for maps that are completely accessible to the public. If you want to offer maps to limited groups with logon credentials, you basically need to get the AGOL subscription based organizational account set up. The base level, I think, gives you 5 named users. Then you can create limited access maps for those in your organization. http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/purchase

You can also invite members of other existing organizational accounts that are on their own subscriptions, but you cannot invite anyone that only has the free personal AGOL account to a non-public map or group. So it really depends on what you need to do with your maps.

One of the ESRI staffers will likely state it better, and I may have missed some nuance somewhere.

Hope that helps some.