Base maps are ready-to-use background maps that provide contextual and spatial information additional to your data. They can be satellite imagery, general maps from various sources, or even self-prepared custom maps. In this section, we will take a look at the most popular types of background maps and how to load them into QGIS to combine them with your data.
This is one of the most popular QGIS plugins, as it allows simple addition of base maps from numerous popular map providers (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Bing Maps, and so on). Install the plugin as described in Chapter 1, Handling Your Data, and make sure that it's active after installation.
Loading base maps is simple; go to Web | OpenLayers, select the provider, and click on the map you want to add. The map will be loaded into the map canvas and appear in the Layers panel. By default, layers are added to the first layer group, but you can drag and drop them wherever you want. The layer can be shown...