When you add a layer file to another map, it will draw exactly as it was saved.
A layer can also be saved with its data as a layer package (.lpk). Layers can be saved to a file on disk as a layer file (.lyr). Layers are used to define how you work with feature attributes.Layers are used to edit geodatabase datasets.Layers define how features identify and report themselves.Layers are also the way that you work with GIS datasets in ArcGIS, for example: One of the initial steps is to set display properties for your new layer.
Initial layer display after adding a new layer When you add a dataset to ArcMap, it is represented as a map layer and displayed using default symbols. So one of your first steps will be to set the layer's symbology and other display properties. When you create a new layer by adding a dataset, the layer will draw using a default set of drawing properties. A layer won't draw on your map unless you also have access to the data source on which the layer is based. Thus, a layer always reflects the most up-to-date information in your database. A layer references the data stored in geodatabases, coverages, shapefiles, imagery, rasters, CAD files, and so on, rather than actually storing the geographic data. Examples of map layers include streams and lakes, terrain, roads, political boundaries, parcels, building footprints, utility lines, and orthophoto imagery.Įach map layer is used to display and work with a specific GIS dataset. A map layer defines how a GIS dataset is symbolized and labeled (that is, portrayed) in your map views.Ī layer represents geographic data in ArcMap, such as a particular theme of data.
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Maps in ArcGIS are composed of a series of map layers drawn in a particular order.