Other basemap providers
Besides the built-in Icon Map styles, the basemap can come from ArcGIS, Azure Maps, Mappable, Ordnance Survey, any tile server, a style document that you host, or a WMS service. This page says what each one offers and what it needs.
At a glance
| Provider | Kind | What you need | Label language |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcGIS | Vector styles, tiled services | An ArcGIS API key or another ArcGIS connection | Yes |
| Azure Maps | Raster tiles | An Azure Maps key | Yes |
| Mappable | Raster tiles | A Mappable key | See below |
| Ordnance Survey | Raster or vector tiles, Great Britain | An OS Data Hub key | No |
| Raster Tiles | Raster tiles from any XYZ server | A tile template link | No |
| Vector Tiles | A MapLibre style document | A style link | No |
| WMS | Map images from a WMS service | The service address | No |
| None | No basemap | Nothing |
Choose the provider in Format pane > Background Layer > Map Source > Background map source. The provider's settings are listed in full in Set the basemap in the Format pane.
Google Maps, Mapbox, MapTiler and single-image backgrounds are part of the Legacy engine. See the documentation for 1.1.0.9 and earlier. A MapTiler style can still be used on the Modern engine by giving its style link, key included, as a Vector Tiles basemap.
Keys and credentials
Keys are entered once, on the API Keys & Authentication card of the Format pane, and are saved in the report:
- API Keys > Azure Maps
- API Keys > Mappable
- API Keys > Ordnance Survey
- ArcGIS Authentication for ArcGIS
The card, the ArcGIS connection types and the Icon Map proxy are described in API keys, authentication and the proxy and Connect to ArcGIS.
ArcGIS
ArcGIS basemaps come from ArcGIS Online or your own ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
| Source | What it draws |
|---|---|
| ArcGIS style | One of Esri's basemap styles: Outdoor, Community, Navigation, Streets, Streets (relief), Imagery, Oceans, Topographic, Light Gray, Dark Gray, Human Geography, Charted Territory or Nova |
| OpenStreetMap style | OpenStreetMap data styled by Esri: Standard, Navigation, Streets or Blueprint |
| Custom style | A vector basemap style of your own, by item ID |
| Tiled service | A tiled map service, for example https://server/arcgis/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer |
The ArcGIS and OpenStreetMap styles can show place names in a chosen language. The default, Global, uses the style's own names.
A tiled service must have Web Mercator tiles. The map shows "Powered by Esri" and, for the basemap styles, the data contributors for the current view.
Azure Maps
Microsoft's Azure Maps, drawn as raster tiles.
| Choice | Options |
|---|---|
| Style | Road, Dark Gray or Imagery |
| Labels over imagery | None, Roads, Boundaries and Labels, or Labels only |
| Hill shading | Microsoft's shaded relief over the Road style |
| Language | The language of labels. Default: English (USA) |
The Format pane also offers Authentication Method: Azure Maps Key (the default) or Azure AD with a client ID.
Mappable
Mappable, drawn as raster tiles. Choose Map or Driving in Map type. You can get a key at mappable.world.
Mappable labels are drawn in English.
Ordnance Survey
Maps of Great Britain from the OS Data Hub. Styles: Road, Outdoor, Light and Vector Tiles.
- The Modern engine draws Ordnance Survey in Web Mercator. The British National Grid projection (EPSG:27700) is part of the Legacy engine.
- The raster styles (Road, Outdoor, Light) are available from zoom 7 to zoom 20.
- The Leisure style is not supported.
- The OS logo and a Crown copyright credit are shown on the map.
Raster Tiles
Any tile server that serves XYZ tiles. Give the tile template, for example:
https://tile.example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
| Token | Meaning |
|---|---|
{z}, {x}, {y} |
Filled in by the map for each tile |
{s} |
Spread across the subdomains a, b and c |
{-y} |
The server numbers rows from the bottom (TMS) |
The link must start with https://. WMTS links are not accepted for the basemap. To draw a WMTS service, add it as a reference layer. See Raster tiles, WMTS and WMS.
Vector Tiles
A complete map style that you host or that a provider gives you a link to. The link must be a MapLibre or Mapbox GL style document: a JSON file with "version": 8 and a list of layers. It is not a tile address. The style names its own tile sources, fonts and icons, and PMTiles sources inside the style work.
WMS
One layer from a WMS service, drawn as map images. The service is always requested in Web Mercator (EPSG:3857), so it must support that. The address must start with https://.
In the Format pane, enter WMS Server URL and pick the Layer from the dropdown, which is read from the service. If the list cannot be read, switch on Manual configuration and type the layer name and format.
For WMS layers drawn on top of the basemap, including services that need a sign-in, see Raster tiles, WMTS and WMS.
No basemap
None draws no basemap at all. Use it for diagrams, floor plans drawn from your own shapes, or any map where the geography would only distract.
Tips and limits
- Credits. ArcGIS, Azure Maps, Mappable and Ordnance Survey show their own credit. Tile servers, style links and WMS services show only what the style itself declares, so add the provider's credit in Format pane > Controls > Additional Attribution.
- Servers must allow Power BI to read them. A Power BI visual can only read from servers that allow cross-origin requests (CORS). If a tile server, style or WMS service does not, the basemap stays blank. There is no proxy switch for the basemap. The proxy is described in API keys, authentication and the proxy.
- Closed networks. Your own tile server, style, WMS service or ArcGIS Enterprise portal works on a network with no internet access, as long as the map can reach it. See Power BI Report Server (on-premises).