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What content does ESRI provide in ArcGIS Online?

ArcGIS Online content includes online 2D and 3D basemaps, reference layers, specialty maps, and task-based functional services, such as geocoding, to use in your GIS work.

It is easy to use and develop applications with ArcGIS Online content. ArcGIS Online content includes a number of online map layers that you can use within your own map documents and applications. These layers include multi-resolution imagery, street maps, topographic maps, shaded relief imagery, and more.

Advantage of using ArcGIS Online Content

ArcGIS Online content is always available on the Web, so as long as you have an Internet connection, you can access ArcGIS Online maps at any time. Content is constantly being added and updated and because ArcGIS Online is maintained by ESRI, you can be assured you have high quality maps available for your Web and desktop applications.

You can use the ArcGIS Online maps as your basemap framework for deploying GIS applications to your users both inside and outside your organization. ArcGIS Online content is powered by ArcGIS Server.

What you can do with ArcGIS Online Content

Access standard map services to use in ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Explorer, and ArcGIS Server for internal or external, non-commercial applications.
Buy subscriptions to premium maps or to free maps for use in commercial applications. To understand your rights of use, see the Use constraints for ESRI Content.
Publish your data through the Community Maps Program. Through this program, ESRI can include your data in one or more ArcGIS Online maps so that your data will be freely accessible by your organization and other ArcGIS users.
Select, purchase, and download data, including selected ArcGIS Online source imagery, topographic maps, and elevation data, for use locally with your own GIS software and data using the DataDoors for ArcGIS application from i-cubed.
Purchase hardware with preloaded data to locally host ArcGIS Online content at your organization with the ArcGIS Data Appliance.