{"id":2982068,"date":"2026-09-15T14:25:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2982068"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:31:50","slug":"beef-up-your-map-tours-with-custom-basemaps","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/constituent-engagement\/beef-up-your-map-tours-with-custom-basemaps","title":{"rendered":"Beef up your map tours with custom basemaps"},"author":32401,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[37131],"tags":[398132,23171,25231,706371],"industry":[],"product":[36611,380802],"class_list":["post-2982068","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-constituent-engagement","tag-arcgis-storymaps","tag-basemaps","tag-map-tour","tag-storymaps","product-story-maps","product-arcgis-storymaps"],"acf":{"short_description":"Learn about techniques and use cases for adding additional context and information to a map tour in ArcGIS StoryMaps by using a custom basemap.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

More than six years after its addition to ArcGIS StoryMaps<\/a>, the map tour block remains one of the app\u2019s most popular features, and it\u2019s easy to see why. Allowing authors \u2014 even those with little to no GIS training or experience \u2014 to easily create immersive, map-based, multimedia experiences is what sets StoryMaps apart as a place-based storytelling tool.<\/p>\n

For storytellers who are interested in adding extra context or information to a map tour, there are some additional options in the map tour block<\/a>. One of those options is the ability to pull in your own basemap; to do that, just Edit<\/strong> the tour block in the builder and choose Browse more maps<\/strong> in the basemap picker (as shown in the short video below). You\u2019ll be able to select from any web maps created by you, people in your organization, and even a huge array of public maps and pre-designed maps from the ArcGIS Living Atlas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"kaltura","video_id":"1_hqduo5nv","time":false,"start":0},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

This article will outline some clever uses for custom basemaps that can provide a more robust experience for your map tour audience.<\/p>\n

Layers of context<\/h2>\n

One key benefit to using a custom basemap in a map tour is that it will include any feature layers visible in the map’s default view (though note that feature pop-ups will not be accessible within a tour block).<\/p>\n

These additional layers can provide thematic data that gives readers a better understanding of the tour content. For example, a tour of animal habitats might include species ranges. A tour of national parks might display park boundaries, and so on.<\/p>\n

Sketch layers<\/a> and media layers<\/a> can also be added in Map Viewer and then used to great effect within map tours.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2982092,"id":2982092,"title":"mapviewer_addlayers","filename":"Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","filesize":37565,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/constituent-engagement\/beef-up-your-map-tours-with-custom-basemaps\/screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9-45-42-am","alt":"A screenshot of the add layers drop-down menu in map viewer, showing the options to add sketch and media layers.","author":"32401","description":"","caption":"Adding sketch and media layers in Map Viewer is pretty straightforward.","name":"screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9-45-42-am","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2982068,"date":"2026-09-14 13:46:02","modified":"2026-09-14 13:47:14","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":592,"height":358,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","medium-width":432,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","medium_large-width":592,"medium_large-height":358,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","large-width":592,"large-height":358,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","1536x1536-width":592,"1536x1536-height":358,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","2048x2048-width":592,"2048x2048-height":358,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","card_image-width":592,"card_image-height":358,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-9.45.42-AM.png","wide_image-width":592,"wide_image-height":358}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Sketch layers allow manual creation of points, lines, polygons, and annotations. For instance, an author could draw a specific route line for a guided tour (generalized progress lines between points are togglable in the options for a guided tour, but those lines don\u2019t follow actual streets or waterways, etc.). Media layers allow map creators to paste an image directly onto a map as its own layer. In terms of a map tour, these layers can be used to add additional iconography or imagery to tour points.<\/p>\n

The story May I Walk You Home?<\/em><\/a> uses a basemap with additional layers quite creatively to make a map tour come to life. The tour uses particular restaurant dishes to illustrate the benefits of transit-oriented development. A \u201ctrain track\u201d illustrates the transit route atop Living Atlas\u2019 playful colored pencil basemap<\/a>, while media layer images of each mouth-watering menu item appear directly on the map at each stop.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2982137,"id":2982137,"title":"miwyh","filename":"Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-scaled.png","filesize":3073096,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-scaled.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/constituent-engagement\/beef-up-your-map-tours-with-custom-basemaps\/screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1-33-56-pm","alt":"A screenshot from the story \"May I walk you home?\" showing a map tour stop with a media layer showing a food dish representing a tour point.","author":"32401","description":"","caption":"The map tour in \"May I Walk You Home?\" uses additional map layers in creative ways to make a lasting impression on the reader.","name":"screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1-33-56-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2982068,"date":"2026-09-14 17:34:36","modified":"2026-09-14 17:37:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1289,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-scaled.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":234,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-scaled.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":387,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-scaled.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":967,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-1536x773.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":773,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-2048x1031.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1031,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-826x416.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":416,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-14-at-1.33.56-PM-1920x967.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":967}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/af0106c952594f42930ff3de93f0f26e"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Building a better basemap<\/h2>\n

Sometimes, relatively small tweaks to the basemap itself<\/em> can make a significant difference in how that map works in conjunction with other content, like in a map tour. ArcGIS makes those tweaks possible using the Vector Tile Style Editor<\/a> (VTSE). [If you\u2019re unfamiliar with it, this tutorial<\/a> can help you get up and running.]<\/p>\n

Here are some ways the VTSE can be used to modify basemaps for use in a map tour:<\/p>\n