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GIS (Geographic Information Systems): StoryMapping

Digital Storytelling

Stories, maps, images, media, and videos are powerful. They can advocate for change, create awareness, and influence change. Story Maps are web-based applications that allow you to tell stories in an interactive way by integrating a variety of media, text, and maps. There are two digital story-making platforms for you to choose from. 

  • ArcGIS StoryMaps
  • StoryMapJS

ArcGIS StoryMaps

"Create inspiring, immersive stories by combining text, interactive maps., and other multimedia content. Publish and share your story with your organization or everyone around the world"  - Esri 

To access ArcGIS StoryMaps you need an ArcGIS Online account. There are 2 types of accounts:

  1. ArcGIS Organizational Account. This account is under the university's organization. As a member of the organization, you can create, store, manage, and share your work with other members, participate in groups, and save your work. You also have access to credits for special tools and premium services. Please see the ArcGIS Online page for details on how to create your ArcGIS Online Account. 
  2. ArcGIS Public Account. This account is free with usage limits. This account is NOT associated with the university's organization account.

For more details on ArcGIS StoryMaps, go to the ArcGIS StoryMaps Overview page. Check out the Gallery for examples and the variety of StoryMaps, and Resources for tutorials, tips and tricks, and how to make your first map.

Knight Lab's StoryMapJS

"StoryMapJS is a free, open-source tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events. [...] StoryMapJS can pull in media from a variety of sources. Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Dailymotion, Google Maps, Wikipedia, SoundCloud, Document Cloud and more!"  - Knight Lab

StoryMapJS is developed and supported by Knight Lab at Northwestern University. It's a simple tool designed for creating interactive maps and timelines for journalists and historians with limited technical experience. 

Requires a Google Drive account and map software from OpenStreetMap.

For details on how to create a StoryMapJS check out the 3 part tutorials to help you get started. For additional customization, check out StoryMapJS for Technical User documentation.