Esri Mapping Center - Ask a Cartographer

JPEG Base Map

March 23 2009 | 2 comments
Categories: Map Data

A client has provided a base map they wish to use in .JPEG format. How can I add this JPEG to ArcGIS as a base layer over which layers for sewer districts, critical environmental areas, water districts, etc. can be added? I wish to extract the final map as a JPEG.

Mapping Center Answer:

JPEG is a supported raster format, and you should be able to add it to your map as a layer. In fact this is what we did for the Crater Lake map on mapping center, described in the Flattening Overlaid Images topic.

Exporting that map to JPEG should be no problem, though I would recommend setting the JPEG Quality setting in the Export Options to much closer to Maximum--since the JPEG base map may already be of lower quality--and you wouldn't want to loose more.

re: JPEG Base Map posted by Chris Lewis on Apr 7 2009 1:58PM

I think the Mapping Center Answer misunderstood the question. The user would like to add a JPEG to a map in ArcGIS and then export it back out as a jpeg with the vector data overlaid. To do this, the user needs to georeference the base jpeg. A description for doing this can be found here:

http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/index.cfm?id=2710&pid=2701&topicname=Georeferencing_a_raster_dataset

My process for exporting a final map is to export a tif file. Depending on final map size, I'll select either 400 or 500 dpi as this provides a nice file. Then I'll open the file in Photoshop, resize the image to 200 or 300 dpi and save as jpeg or pdf.

Thanks! posted by Aileen Buckley on Apr 8 2009 1:14PM

On re-reading the question, I agree with you about what the real question was. Thanks for sending the additional information!

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