Base maps are a special kind of map data. Similar to a mosaic, they are made up of pre-rendered tile images which are delivered over the Internet and then stitched together by the GIS Editor to form a coherent map. You can zoom and pan around a base map just like you would a vector or raster layer. However, base maps contain no attribute data and cannot be styled, queried, transformed or modified. Think of them as a backdrop to use behind your more detailed vector or raster layer data.

In some cases, base maps can be configured with various options. For example, the Bing Maps base map allows you to choose whether to display simple roads, full aerial imagery, or aerial with labels (a combination of both).

A base map can be added to your map simply by double-clicking on it in the Data Repository window. Please note that because base maps cannot be transformed, they will necessarily dictate the projection of your map. As such, when you add a base map to a project for the first time, the GIS Editor may warn you that it needs to change the map projection to match that of the base map.

The World Map Kit is ThinkGeo's own base map. It offers street-level detail for both the United States and Canada, as well as major road level detail for the remainder of the globe. You can use the World Map Kit with either the default Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) or Mercator projection (which is also known as the Google Maps / Bing Maps / OpenStreetMap projection).

Bing Maps is a base map offered by Microsoft. To use this base map, Microsoft requires that you first sign up for a Bing Maps account (or sign in with your existing Microsoft account) at https://www.bingmapsportal.com/. Once logged in to the Bing Maps Portal, you need to create a new Bing Maps application key.

When you add the Bing Maps base map to your project in the GIS Editor, you will be shown the Bing Maps configuration window. On this window, you'll need to paste your Bing Maps application key into the appropriate field, and then choose which style of Bing Map you want to display (road, aerial, or aerial with labels). Please note that the application key is not the same as your Bing Maps account ID. The application key looks like a long string of random letters and numbers.

The OpenStreetMap base map is only available in the Mercator projection.

This base map is a free service provided by OpenStreetMap, which is “crowd sourced”, or put together by, end users all over the world. It is a community-driven project that includes very detailed data for many parts of the world. You can also contribute your own data edits or additions directly via their website.

The OpenStreetMap base map is only available in the Mercator projection.