Basemap unavailable so entire map contents are gone

[AmberDetty]

The census reference basemap I was using for an online map we share with our customers became unavailable today for some unknown reason.  When I went to open the map after getting word that people were getting errors in opening it, I got the same error that the basemap was unavailable.  Then, when I opened the map, all contents were also deleted from the map.

I verified that I was the last person to edit/save the map.  My biggest concern is that it took me an additional 2-3 hours this morning to upload all the shape and point files once again and set the symbols and pop-ups like I had them once I set a new basemap.  Why when the basemap becomes unavailable does all the content disappear as well? 

I love using the system, but often set this user-created basemap because I would like to have LABELED census boundaries as the basemap for our maps and this is one of the few available.  This whole issue could be resolved if I could label my own features through the online system.  I was extremely frustrated this morning that when the basemap becomes unavailable for whatever reason, everything on my online map is deleted and I must spend a good deal of time recreating the content.

[MikeMinami]

You shouldn't have to recreate the web map. Just close it without saving any changes. When the basemap becomes available again, it should open fine. The basemap establishes the coordinate system of the web map, and without it, the other layers can't draw.

What basemap service are you using? Is it running on your own ArcGIS Server? Is it something you found on ArcGIS Online? If so, perhaps you can post the URL to the item.

Thanks,

Mike

[AmberDetty]

That is nice to know, but the basemap has been unavailable for a while (I received the first message over 24 hours ago), so those who use it this particular map did not have access and so I had to fix the issue as soon as possible.

I would suggest a way you could alter the basemap in this case without losing the other layers on the map without having to wait for the original map to become available again.  Do maps become unavailable like this from time to time?

I was using: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b553045066484d4fa01fb3db024dffa7

[MikeMinami]

Yes, services can become unavailable for many different reasons, eg, the server the service is running on could go down, someone might delete the service and so on. There is no guarantee a service will be available. 

In the case of the ArcGIS Online basemaps, we have a lot of servers and back up servers to ensure that the services are running. However, in your case, you are accessing a service running on someone's instance of ArcGIS Server. Luckly, this is a server run as part of a lab at Esri, so I've asked the owner to fix the problem. Hopefully it will be resolved in a day or so.

Thanks,

Mike

[JimHerries]

That service is running again.  You have my apologies for the inconvenience its outage resulted in on your end of things.

I also wanted to notify you that this similar map is also available:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c734818dff56412bafd2a4a4ca61431b

[AngieTootle]

So, this happened to me today.  Using ArcGIS Online, I was adding a layer from the web (not my server) and made it a basemap. 
Now, when I attempt to open this map I get an error that basemap not available...still trying.  When I click OK all of my layers are
gone.  How can I just get rid of this basemap so my other layers will appear?  It looks like all my layers have just vanished!!

I already saved, closed, reopened...still get the same error and no layers.  Now, I just want to get into it to delete the layer.