Python Basemap Background Image from ArcGIS MapServer

Click here for Jupyter Notebook

https://github.com/blaylockbk/pyBKB_v2/blob/master/demos/add_arcgis_image_to_basemap.ipynb
Python's Basemap toolkit has some default backgrounds you can load. To draw the background on your map you use m.bluemarble(), and m.shadedrelief(). These are really low resolution, so they aren't very useful if you zoom in on a specific area.

Alternatively, you can download higher resolution maps from the ArcGIS maps server. Here's how...
m.arcgisimage(service=maps, xpixels = 3500, dpi=500, verbose= True)

For the Salt Lake Valley, here's what each of the map backgrounds look like. You can plot anything on top of this :) 

 

To plot all of the availble maps I've made this script:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from functions_domains_models import *

from mpl_toolkits.basemap import Basemap


# Define the map boundaries lat/lon
domain = get_domain('salt_lake_valley')
top_right_lat = domain['top_right_lat']+.1
top_right_lon = domain['top_right_lon']-.1
bot_left_lat = domain['bot_left_lat']
bot_left_lon = domain['bot_left_lon']

## Map in cylindrical projection (data points may apear skewed)
m = Basemap(resolution='i',projection='cyl',\
    llcrnrlon=bot_left_lon,llcrnrlat=bot_left_lat,\
    urcrnrlon=top_right_lon,urcrnrlat=top_right_lat,)


map_list = [
'ESRI_Imagery_World_2D',    # 0
'ESRI_StreetMap_World_2D',  # 1
'NatGeo_World_Map',         # 2
'NGS_Topo_US_2D',           # 3
#'Ocean_Basemap',            # 4
'USA_Topo_Maps',            # 5
'World_Imagery',            # 6
'World_Physical_Map',       # 7     Still blurry
'World_Shaded_Relief',      # 8
'World_Street_Map',         # 9
'World_Terrain_Base',       # 10
'World_Topo_Map'            # 11
]

for maps in map_list: 
    plt.figure(figsize=[10,20])    
    ## Instead of using WRF terrain fields you can get a high resolution image from ESRI
    m.arcgisimage(service=maps, xpixels = 3500, dpi=500, verbose= True)
    m.drawstates()
    plt.title(maps)
    
    plt.savefig('00'+maps,bbox_inches="tight")