This web-based map is very different from a paper-based map. For one thing, it allows you to move around the map and zoom in and out, but this is just the beginning. Web-based maps contain many different types of information and this information is added layer by layer starting with the first layer, which is usually referred to as a base map. This way of building a map - in layers - makes it possible to interact with the map in useful ways - most importantly - to search for, and analyze the information stored on all those layers. This makes web-based maps extremely powerful tools for researching and understanding the world around us.
The map has many different navigation features that make it easy to move around, for example, you can click the map and scroll your mouse wheel to zoom in or out. If you have a touch screen, you can touch the screen and drag the map to move it around, double-tap to zoom in, or pinch to zoom out. For more information, see Navigate Around The Map.
One of the greatest benefits of web-based maps is the ability to search for information. There are several ways to search for information in this map, but one of the easiest is to use the Search box in the top right corner.
Search box
When you type in a word, the application tries to find all the most relevant results from all the active layers. It then displays the results in the Results List. For example, if you type in the word "park", the Results List will include the following:
The names of all the parks on the Park Locations layer.
Example of results from different layers
In addition to the standard search, there are specialized searches, usually created for those searches that people need to run often, for example, the schools in a particular zip code area. Sometimes specialized searches are found on the toolbar but others could be in the I Want To menu.
Specialized searches in the Advanced Search Tools area of the Tasks tab
For more information on how to search, how to filter results and select some results to use later, see the Search section.
Because web-maps are built in layers, it is easy to control what you see in the map. The most obvious is to change the Base map from Streets to Imagery using the Base Map control. The Streets base map shows you a traditional map but the Imagery base map shows an image of the same area taken from a satellite.
Change base maps from Streets to Imagery
You can also change what you see by switching different layers on or off, or in some maps, by choosing a special layer theme, which contains only specific layers, for example, only water features like lakes, rivers, and streams. For more information, see About Layer Themes.
Show a layer theme of water features
When you are zooming in and out and moving around on a web-based map, it is easy to lose track of where you are. If this happens, you can click the small arrow 
in the bottom right corner of the map to open the Overview map, which shows the current view as a blue square on the full map. For more information, see The Overview Map.
The Overview map open
See also...