The layers
Years ago, mapping departments drew maps on transparent Mylar sheets. Painstaking work went into drawing those sheets at the same scale. When the Mylar sheets were stacked on top of each other, and corresponding points on each layer were lined up, they would provide a visual mashup of overlapping map layers.
Today, the same effect can be created with a browser-based map application. Instead of clear Mylar sheets, the application takes advantage of layering image files and vector graphics to create the same effect. In the ArcGIS JavaScript API, we refer to these stackable map data sources as layers.
The ArcGIS JavaScript API can accept multiple types of layer files from different sources. Some layers are very flexible, and can be realigned ...
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