InsightMaps

Appearance

Layer Management ​

Control which data appears on your map, how it's displayed, and in what order.

Overview ​

Layer Control Capabilities:

  • Visibility: Turn layers on/off
  • Opacity: Adjust layer transparency (0-100%)
  • Ordering: Drag layers to change drawing order
  • Grouping: Organize layers by categories
  • Styling: Modify symbology and appearance
  • Actions: Zoom, export, refresh, and more
  • Sublayers: Control MapImageLayer sublayers independently

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Access Layer Management ​

Location: Left sidebar → Layers panel

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How to Open:

  1. Click Layers icon in sidebar
  2. Panel shows all active layers
  3. Organized by category (if configured)
  4. Top layers draw last (appear on top)

Layer List View ​

Layer Hierarchy ​

Layers are organized into categories for easy management.

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Elements:

  • Category folders: Group related layers
  • Layer items: Individual data layers
  • Visibility toggles: Eye icons
  • Action menus: Three-dot menus
  • Opacity sliders: Transparency control

Layer Visibility ​

Toggle Layer On/Off ​

Show or hide layers to reduce map clutter.

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How:

  • Click eye icon next to layer name
  • Open eye = visible, Closed eye = hidden

Tips:

  • Only visible layers can be queried or filtered
  • Keep 5-10 layers visible at a time for best performance

Layer Opacity (Transparency) ​

Control how transparent a layer appears.

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How to Adjust:

  1. Hover over layer in list
  2. Opacity slider appears
  3. Drag slider (0-100%)
  4. Layer updates in real-time

Common Uses:

  • See basemap through data layers
  • Compare overlapping layers
  • Create visual hierarchy

Best Practices:

  • Aerial imagery: 50-70%
  • Reference layers: 30-50%
  • Primary data: 80-100%

Layer Ordering ​

Purpose ​

Control which layers draw on top of others—critical for proper map display.

Drawing Order:

  • Layers at top of list draw last (on top)
  • Layers at bottom of list draw first (underneath)
  • Similar to Photoshop/Illustrator layer stacking

Reorder Layers ​

How:

  1. Click and hold layer name
  2. Drag up or down in list
  3. Blue line shows drop location
  4. Release to drop
  5. Map updates immediately

Keyboard:

  • Some implementations support Ctrl+Up/Down

Ordering Best Practices ​

Recommended Stack (Top to Bottom):

1. Labels and annotations (top)
2. Point features (markers, symbols)
3. Line features (roads, boundaries)
4. Polygon features (parcels, zones)
5. Imagery layers (aerial photos)
6. Basemaps (bottom)

Reasoning:

  • Points should be visible on top of polygons
  • Lines need to be seen over filled areas
  • Labels must be legible over all features
  • Basemaps provide context underneath

Example GIS Workflow:

📍 Development Sites (points) - TOP
🛣️ Roads (lines)
📦 Parcels (polygons)
🗺️ Zoning (polygons, transparent)
🛰️ Aerial Imagery (raster)
🗺️ Streets Basemap - BOTTOM

Layer Actions Menu ​

Access Actions ​

How:

  • Click three-dot menu (⋮) next to layer name
  • Or right-click layer name
  • Actions menu appears

Available Actions (varies by layer type):

Common Layer Actions ​

1. Zoom to Layer ​

What it does: Zoom map to layer extent

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Zoom to"
  2. Map zooms to show all features in layer
  3. Useful when layer extent is unknown

Use When:

  • Loading new layer
  • Finding layer after panning away
  • Checking layer coverage

2. Open Attribute Table ​

What it does: View layer feature attributes in table

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Attribute Table"
  2. Table opens showing all features and fields
  3. Sort, filter, select features

Use Cases:

  • Review data without selecting features
  • Sort by field values
  • Select features by attribute
  • Export attribute data

3. Set Transparency ​

What it does: Adjust layer opacity

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Transparency"
  2. Slider appears
  3. Adjust 0-100%

Same as: Opacity slider (see above)

4. Show/Hide Labels ​

What it does: Toggle layer labels on/off

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Show Labels" (or "Hide Labels")
  2. Labels appear/disappear
  3. Only if layer has labels configured

Label Configuration:

  • Controlled server-side or in layer definition
  • Font, size, placement auto-configured
  • Some layers support label style customization

5. Refresh Layer ​

What it does: Reload layer data from server

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Refresh"
  2. Layer queries server for latest data
  3. Map updates with new features/attributes

Use When:

  • Data updated on server
  • Features missing or outdated
  • Layer not displaying correctly

Technical: Calls layer.refresh() method

6. Move to Top/Bottom ​

What it does: Quickly change layer order

How:

  • Click ⋮ menu → "Move to Top"
  • Or "Move to Bottom"
  • Layer jumps to top or bottom of draw order

Faster than: Dragging layer through long list

7. Remove Layer ​

What it does: Remove layer from map

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Remove"
  2. Confirm (if prompted)
  3. Layer removed from list and map

Note:

  • Does not delete data source
  • Can re-add layer later
  • Temporary layers (My Layers) may be permanently deleted

Advanced Layer Actions ​

Convert Layer Type ​

What it does: Change layer rendering type

Example: FeatureLayer → GeoJSONLayer

Availability: Depends on layer type and data format

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Convert to..."
  2. Choose target type
  3. Layer converted and reloaded

Use Cases:

  • Improve performance
  • Enable specific features
  • Change rendering method

Export Layer ​

What it does: Download layer features to file

Formats:

  • Shapefile (SHP)
  • GeoJSON
  • KML
  • CSV (attributes only)

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Export"
  2. Choose format
  3. Select coordinate system
  4. Enter filename
  5. Download begins

Uses:

  • Share data with colleagues
  • Backup layer data
  • Use in desktop GIS (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS)
  • Submit with reports

Change Style/Symbology ​

What it does: Modify layer appearance

Options:

  • Symbol color
  • Symbol size
  • Line width
  • Fill pattern
  • Outline style

How:

  1. Click ⋮ menu → "Symbology" or "Style"
  2. Style editor opens
  3. Adjust symbols
  4. Apply changes

Availability: Depends on layer type and permissions

MapImageLayer Sublayers ​

Purpose ​

MapImageLayers (from ArcGIS Server) contain multiple sublayers. Control each independently.

Expand Sublayers ​

How:

  1. Click arrow/chevron next to MapImageLayer name
  2. Sublayers appear indented below
  3. Each sublayer has own visibility toggle and actions

Example:

📁 Planning Services (MapImageLayer)
  ├── 📄 Zoning
  ├── 📄 Overlays
  ├── 📄 Heritage Areas
  └── 📄 Flight Paths

Sublayer Controls ​

Per Sublayer:

  • Toggle visibility independently
  • Adjust opacity
  • Access sublayer-specific actions
  • Zoom to sublayer extent
  • Query sublayer features

Use Cases:

  • Show only relevant sublayers from service
  • Reduce clutter from large services
  • Focus on specific data themes

Layer Groups and Categories ​

Purpose ​

Organize layers into logical groups for easier management.

Benefits:

  • Easier to find layers
  • Toggle category visibility (all layers in category)
  • Professional map organization
  • Matches organizational structure

Category Structure ​

Example Organization:

📁 Planning & Development
  ├── Zoning
  ├── Development Applications
  └── Land Use

📁 Infrastructure
  ├── Roads
  ├── Stormwater
  └── Utilities

📁 Property & Cadastre
  ├── Parcels
  ├── Property Values
  └── Ownership

📁 Environmental
  ├── Vegetation
  ├── Waterways
  └── Conservation Areas

Category Actions ​

Expand/Collapse:

  • Click category folder to expand/collapse
  • Shows/hides layers within
  • Doesn't affect layer visibility on map

Category Visibility (if available):

  • Toggle all layers in category at once
  • Visibility icon at category level
  • Efficient for related layer groups

Layer Workflows ​

Example: Development Application Review ​

Turn ON:

  • Cadastre, Zoning, Overlays
  • Aerial imagery (60% opacity)

Turn OFF:

  • Infrastructure and environmental layers

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Order (top to bottom):

  • Points → Lines → Polygons → Imagery

Example: Infrastructure Asset Management ​

Turn ON:

  • Asset layer, Roads, Parcels (30% opacity)

Turn OFF:

  • Planning and environmental layers

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Performance Tips ​

Best Practices:

  • Load only necessary layers
  • Keep visible layers under 10-15
  • Turn off unused layers
  • Use layer definition queries to limit features

Troubleshooting ​

"Layer won't display" ​

Check:

  • Layer visibility toggle is on
  • Zoom to layer extent
  • Look for error messages
  • Try refreshing layer

"Layer appears below others" ​

Solution: Drag layer to top of list

"Can't reorder layer" ​

Basemaps and locked layers cannot be reordered.

Integration with Other Tools ​

Filtering: Only applies to visible layers

Spatial Analysis: Tools query visible layers only

Export: Layer visibility affects exports and prints

Search: Queries visible layers by default

Best Practices ​

Layer Naming:

  • Use descriptive names
  • Include source/date if relevant
  • Avoid cryptic abbreviations

Layer Organization:

  • Group related layers in categories
  • Order logically
  • Remove unused layers

Visual Hierarchy:

  • Brightest colors for important features
  • Muted colors for context

Summary ​

Layer Management is fundamental to GIS mapping:

Key Controls:

  • 👁️ Visibility: Show/hide layers
  • 🎨 Opacity: Adjust transparency 0-100%
  • 🔀 Order: Drag to change drawing sequence
  • 📁 Groups: Organize by category
  • ⚙️ Actions: Zoom, refresh, export, style
  • 🗂️ Sublayers: Control MapImageLayer components

Best Practices:

  • Keep 5-10 layers visible
  • Order: points > lines > polygons > imagery
  • Use opacity for overlapping data
  • Refresh after server updates
  • Remove unused layers

Remember: Top layers draw last (appear on top), and only visible layers can be queried or analyzed!