Add ability to change basemap for Explorer Map Tour

[SteveCole]

The basemap used during a map tour doesn't change between the overview and a specific stop along the tour (using a custom extent rather than the default view extent). It would be nice to have the option to change the basemap that is in use at any given stop along the map tour. Many ESRI basemaps give a clean look at the full extent of the map tour but lack detail, if a more zoomed in extent is chosen. The ability to swap basemaps to the imagery basemap or one of the others (or custom / organization basemap) would add more context to the user working through the map tour.

[OwenGeo]

@SteveCole - You can do this today by 1) creating a web map that has scale dependent basemap layers and then 2) configuring that web map as the map tour basemap (using the "Browse more maps" button, see screenshot below).

For the web map:

1. Select the basemap you want to appear at small scales from the basemap picker (topo, for example)
2. Manually add the layer(s) for the basemap you want to use at large scales (imagery, for example)
3. Set the visible range on the basemap layers as needed to show them at whichever large scales you want

You could even get tricky and configure multiple basemap layers with different visible ranges and combine that with different custom extents for individual places if you had more than one additional basemap you wanted to use.

Let us know if this works for you.

 

[SteveCole]

Yes, that does work. It's not as streamlined as an option while building the map tour but it does work. It's made more complicated because ESRI has multiple versions of its basemaps-. It appears as though the basemap that is used inside the Map Tour Builder is the vector tile version but that is different than the topographic basemap found in the standard Map Viewer.

Anyways, for my immediate need, I followed your alternative. I still support my idea, though.

[OwenGeo]

@SteveCole - OK great, I'm glad that works for now. I will leave this idea open since I understand that you are asking for a more integrated way to do this in the tour builder.

Regarding the different basemap versions...it sounds like your organization may have set its own group of basemaps for the map viewer that does not include the standard vector tile ones. If an organization uses the Esri Default basemap group, those basemaps will be the same vector tile basemaps included in the map tour basemap picker.

Here's some more info you can share with your administrator.

Configure map and scene—ArcGIS Online Help | Documentation