ArcGIS Web Map and Item Inspector

Why check a web map

In ArcGIS, a web map is a JSON document that stores layer URLs and display settings rather than the layers themselves. The map can stay the same for years while the services behind it are moved, renamed, restricted or switched off. The map still opens, but some layers come up empty, and finding the cause means trying each layer by hand. The summary, description, tags and terms of use on the item page can also fall behind over time, which makes the item harder to find and to use correctly.

This inspector reads an item's portal record and its web map JSON and answers two questions together: is the item well described, and are the layers in the map actually reachable.

How to use it

1. Paste the item URL. ArcGIS Online, organisation URLs (…maps.arcgis.com) and ArcGIS Enterprise portal URLs are accepted, and the item ID is also recognised in Map Viewer and app URLs. If you only have the 32-character ID of an Enterprise item, enter the portal URL as well.
2. Press Inspect. The item details and the content quality checklist appear first.
3. If the item is a web map or web scene, its basemap and operational layers are listed in a table, group layers included. For each layer the table shows visibility, opacity, whether a pop-up is configured and the URL; a definition request is then sent to every URL to fill in the status column.
4. Download the layer table as a CSV report, browse the item and data JSON in a collapsible view, copy it or save it as a file.

What the layer statuses mean

• Accessible: The URL returned a valid ArcGIS REST definition or a successful HTTP response.
• Token required / Invalid token: The service is secured (499) or the token sent was rejected (498). If the map is public, anonymous users cannot see this layer.
• Not found / Error: The service or layer may have been removed or renamed, or the server returned an error.
• Unreachable / Timeout: The server could not be reached or did not answer in time.
• Insecure (http): The URL starts with http. Browsers block such URLs in map apps served over HTTPS; the tool also tries the same URL over https and reports the result.
• Unreadable: The server responded, but because it does not allow browser requests (CORS) the content could not be read. The layer may well work.
• Embedded in map: The data is stored inside the web map rather than in a separate service.

Content quality checklist

The checklist looks at whether the thumbnail, summary, description, tags, terms of use and credits are filled in, and shows the item information score when the portal provides one. For web maps it adds broken layers, layers that need a token, http URLs, layer URLs with an embedded token and feature layers without a configured pop-up. The thresholds for a short description and the number of tags are this tool's suggestions, not portal rules.

For a single item this takes seconds. In organisational portals with hundreds or thousands of items, keeping content consistently described, tracking ownership and sharing, and finding broken links on a regular basis becomes a management task of its own. Rodosto's Portal Content Manager addresses it across the whole portal; you can find it on rodostoteknoloji.com.

Data and method

The tool uses public endpoints of the ArcGIS REST API: /sharing/rest/content/items/{id}?f=json for item details and /sharing/rest/content/items/{id}/data?f=json for the web map definition. To check layers it requests ?f=json from ArcGIS REST URLs, the style file for vector tile layers, GetCapabilities for WMS layers and the URL itself for everything else. Each URL is checked once, and at most six requests run at the same time. All requests go straight from your browser to the portal and the layer servers; they do not pass through Rodosto's servers. Icons come from Lucide (ISC licence); the tool uses no other external library.

Limitations

• The tool is designed mainly for public items. Items with restricted sharing can only be read with a valid token.
• A reachable layer is not necessarily drawn correctly; symbology, scale range and filter settings need to be checked separately.
• Servers inside a closed network and servers that do not allow browser requests cannot be fully checked from this page.
• For safety, the token is only sent to the portal host and, in ArcGIS Online, to hosted services under arcgis.com. Layers on federated servers that use a different host may therefore appear as "Token required".
• For app items (for example configurable apps) only the item details are checked; if the app is based on a web map, you can inspect that map with one click.

For organisations

Rodosto is an Esri Partner working with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise, from portal content management to ongoing support. More about our work is on rodostoteknoloji.com, and you can reach us through the contact page.