Vector tiles are great alternative for serving basemaps so we’re extending the OS Open Data basemaps in the ArcGIS Platform by adding vector tile services.
Vector tiles contain vector representations of data across a range of scales. Unlike raster tiles, they can adapt to the resolution of their display device and are much smaller and faster to load – particularly important for mobile solutions.
Importantly though, Vector tiles provide the ability to create your own cartographic style without having to host or maintain the underlying data.
We have taken the popular OS Open Background and OS Open Carto styles, and created vector tile basemaps that can be used in web maps and web apps across the platform.
You can access the two new styles by searching for for “OS Open Vector Tiles” in ArcGIS Online or follow the links below.
We will add more styles over time, so keep an eye out for these. In the meantime you can create your own styles, check out this blog for details to see how.
UPDATE 31st May – Planned updates to the service
We will be working on the structure and style of the data over the next few months refining and improving it to make it easier for you to create your own styles. We will let you know about updates to the services through our blog and let us know any feedback you may have about the data structure or styles.
