Publish as a service from ArcGIS desktop to ArcGIS online without basemap

Question

I'm trying to publish a map document as a service from ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1 to ArcGIS Online. It works just fine, except that ArcGIS Online automatically loads in a basemap. This usually isn't an issue, but I'm working with a map of Io, one of Jupiter's moons. A basemap of the earth is less than helpful.

I've seen the Javascript code to hide the basemap, but I was just curious if there's any way besides coding to remove the basemap. I couldn't find a setting in the Publish a Service dialog box.

Is it possible to publish a map document as a service and only get the map document without ArcGIS Online's basemap?

Answer 1

There is a way to create a "Blank basemap" by following the steps outlined at the GisNuts.com blog posting entitled How to Create a Blank Basemap for ArcGIS Online.

I have a client that is using Esri's basic map application viewer template to serve out the maps that they create on ArcGIS Online from their office server. Their office is in a somewhat rural location, so their bandwidth is not great (DSL). They wanted to know if they could just remove the basemap while the map loaded to speed up the load time. Initially loading the map and subsequent map navigation were painfully slow. They wanted to be able to turn on a basemap when needed, but for it to otherwise be off. After doing some research, I came up with a solution that they were quite pleased with. It is a bit of a hack, but until Esri gives us a blank basemap option, it works.