The ArcBruTile
0.5 new version is available. To download, follow
this link:
As it is not easy to have an
updated documentation of this tool, in this article there is some useful
information to make the most of it.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/61.gif?resize=600%2C398&ssl=1)
We will discuss one by one the toolbar available options.
OpenStreetMap
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/62.png?resize=559%2C146&ssl=1)
The available option under this menu item is Mapnik
Mapnik is a free map rendering
software that is used by OSM to draw the main map. OSM
uses Mapnik to draw 256 x 256 px squares, which are then delivered from the
tile server at tile.openstreetmap.org.
Mapnik tiles are generated and
stored on the tile.openstreetmap.org server. They are
calculated by a weekly extraction which is currently carried out on Wednesday
mornings (GMT / BST time zone). Each tile has its date of
creation and a simple marking of obsolescence (flag or flag) meaning that it is
ready to be recalculated. The rendering engine follows
these few rules:
- When a user checks a tile on the OSM site, there is an automatic control to discover
if it is more than seven days older than. - If it is > seven days, it is ticked as obsolete (and , therefore, it will renew ).
A rendering process generates through a background process, a list of all the ‘obsolete’ tiles and; then
launches the new rendering for these tiles . Once finished , it requests for a
new list of tiles marked as obsolete .
Therefore , if no one is watching an area, it will not be updated often
. The tiles are recalculated according to interest / attention. To tick a tile as
obsolete does not include those tiles covering
the same area at higher zoom levels as obsolete . If you read ‘More OpenStreetMap coming soon …’ on a tile,
it means that there is no data for this one and that it is on queue to be recalculated
.
The other OSM rendering engine, Osmarender , is not accessible with
ArcBruTile .
Bing
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/63.png?resize=562%2C124&ssl=1)
Since ArcBruTile no longer displays Google Maps , this option remains
the most used . No need to search for Bing Traffic options , you are limited to
basic displays .
Stamen
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/64.png?resize=300%2C72&ssl=1)
Stamen is a company
based
in San Francisco, that has developed applications from
OpenStreetMaps
.
The Terrain option only covers the United States, while two
others
, Watercolor and Toner, cover the whole
world .
The option Watercolor is used
for the map background. It applies effects on the
OpenStreetMaps coverage that gives the map a
hand drawing watercolor style.
The Toner option is a rendering black
and white high contrast OpenStreetMap data.
The following figure shows an example
of
both options jointly .
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/65.jpg?resize=630%2C410&ssl=1)
MapBox
MapBox is an
American
company specialized
in
on-line mapping and very linked
to OpenStreetMaps .
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/66.png?resize=560%2C166&ssl=1)
Satellite coverage, with a definition
clearly
inferior
to Bing Satellite, does not offer much interest .
MapQuest
MapQuest is an American company that
works on the OpenStreetMap data.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/67.png?resize=566%2C169&ssl=1)
The OpenAerialMap option only covers the United
States.
The OSM option displays the same data
as
OppenstreetMap with a slightly different
rendering.
Strava
Strava is a site dedicated to
cyclo-tourism . You can
simply
show
sections of Strava, but no associated information .
The
interest of such display escapes
me . But if you
find one , it’s possible to do it.
Tianditu
Tianditu is the Chinese world server.
The only problem is
that I have never come across this
server
in the right place . Let’s be honest
, I have sought a little
but
my Chinese being very rudimentary and most of the articles being in
VO, I have not found a solution. It must
be said that with version 0.4 all I got while trying to
display the Tianditu layer was to crash ArcMap in
each attempt.
In any case , if you have any
tips…please let me enlighten my ignorance!
Other
providers
We have discussed all the
ArcBruTile toolbar elements , but it, still, remains
one,
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/68.png?resize=557%2C147&ssl=1)
By clicking Add
TMS service you open
a
window
that lets you select a provider
and, within this provider , a service.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sigterritoires.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69.png?resize=300%2C153&ssl=1)
In addition to the directly available
services in the toolbar, you will find
GISCloud
( a cover of Map type and another satellite types, for the moment almost non-existent )
and VWorld , the Korean server which covers, predominantly, Asia .