Using Esri ArcGIS map services

Esri create its own version of the JSON format. QGIS now supports this special dialect of the JSON format Esri created for map services. It is almost similar to GeoJSON, but different enough to require special handling. There are two types of Esri services: ArcGIS map services, which provide tiled map layers, and ArcGIS feature services, which provide vector layers. In this recipe, we'll create a map with one of each type of service, including a world imagery basemap service and a 2011 worldwide earthquake point layer.

Getting Ready

For this example, it is important to ensure that the on-the-fly CRS transformation is turned off for your map project, because Esri services use a slightly different CRS (EPSG:3857), and we don't want QGIS to automatically assume WGS 84. To verify this setting, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the QGIS Project menu and choose Project Properties....
2. In the Project Properties dialog, choose the CRS panel on the left...