[GIS] Google/OSM style map layer labels

Question

I am currently using the OpenLayers plugin to import Google Maps as the base layer for a heat map. The map is of population by census tract. The more populous census tracts are red and less populous green.

This is working well but the OpenLayers is completely flat and 0% transparent. This means I have to have my coloured census tracts over the top which obscures the features of the map.

In products like MapPoint you are able to have the background of the map at the very back, then the coloured data and then the labels (cities, highways etc.) at the top.

Does anyone know how I can do that?

Another option would be a transparent map layer which I could then put over the top of my coloured census tracts.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Everything is possible with QGIS also. Hopefully this is what you are trying to achieve.

1. Keep your layer order such that Points and Line Layers are at the top followed by any polygon layers.
2. Keep "OpenLayers" layer at the bottom of all layers(like a base layer) in the Layers List. You can Drag and drop to achieve this.

Set transparency to any layer by right-clicking the layer and adjusting the transparency slider in the style tab as shown below.