Many users have reported that after switching to the Tianditu basemap in the China region of ArcGIS Pro, some imagery appears unclear and there are limited style options. Well, given the particular nature of our industry and the strict requirements for data legality and compliance, if data confidentiality is a concern, it is strongly recommended not to use map sources outside the China region. So, are there any other Chinese map sources available? Of course, I found a basemap service with decent clarity: the Jilin-1 map source. It offers a free usage quota for individuals, and I highly recommend it.
About Jilin-1
"Jilin-1" is China's first independently developed commercial remote sensing satellite system, developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. It primarily includes one Optical-A satellite, two multispectral satellites, four Gaofen-02 series satellites, three wide-width series satellites, and 36 Gaofen-03D series optical remote sensing satellites. Among them, the Optical-A satellite was launched into orbit via a "one rocket, four satellites" mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on October 7, 2015. The multispectral satellites were launched on January 21, 2019. The Gaofen-02 series and wide-width series satellites were launched between 2019 and 2022, and the Gaofen-03D series satellites began launching in 2021 through various missions such as "one rocket, ten satellites" and "one rocket, sixteen satellites." The "Jilin-1" satellite constellation provides high-quality remote sensing information and product services for national security, geographic mapping, land planning, agricultural and forestry production, ecological environmental protection, smart cities, and other fields.
Registering an Account
Open the official website of Jilin-1:
Click on "Remote Sensing Mall" (遥感商城).
Then select "Online Invocation of Slices" (在线调用切片) and choose the trial version.
Follow the instructions to register an account and complete real-name verification. PS: This process is relatively lengthy and involves filling out forms, so I won’t go into detail here. After registration, log in to the system.
Select "Suite Management" (套件管理), choose the basemap you need. I selected the "2024 National High-Quality One Map" (2024年度全国高质量一张图), and click the copy button. A pop-up will display the relevant configuration address:
You’ll notice that there is no provided method for loading into ArcGIS Pro. No problem, simply copy the segment mk=xxxxxxxx&tk=xxxxxxxxxx.
Loading into ArcGIS Pro
Open ArcGIS Pro, select the menu: Insert -> Connections -> Server -> New WMTS Server.
In the dialog box that appears, enter the following address:
https://api.jl1mall.com/getCapabilities?mk=xxxxxxxx&tk=xxxxxxxxxx
After successfully adding it, drag the "2024 National High-Quality One Map" from the server into the map. You will then see the Jilin-1 map source.
The clarity of this imagery is quite good. The image below shows the Wuhan Qingchuan Bridge and the entrance of the Han River for reference.
Summary
There’s a small backstory here: while researching, I found that the official Jilin-1 documentation did not include ArcGIS Pro loading methods because ArcGIS desktop software temporarily did not support WebP format tile loading, and Jilin-1’s slice imagery suite previously only provided WebP slices. It’s unclear whether Jilin-1 later added support for PNG slices or if ArcGIS Pro 3.4 and later versions began supporting WebP slices, but it works now. However, the copy pop-up on the Jilin-1 official website hasn’t been updated, though it has been updated in the instruction manual PDF. I found this information in the manual.
Finally, if you have any other useful map sources, feel free to share them!