How to Create a Story Map

There are two ready ways to access the Story Map platform:

1. Go to the story map platform  storymaps.arcgis.com  OR
1. Log in to  ArcGIS online  and go to CONTENT and hit Create

You know you are in the correct AGOL site when you see the CWC name and logo. Please create your Sotry Maps in the CWC Organizational Account. After publishing Story Maps uou can find them in the Content Section of your AGOL account, and/or in the  storymaps.arcgis.com  link.

Click on Title Your Story to type in your title. Click below the title to add a subtitle (subtitles are optional). You may also opt to keep/delete the author byline and date

This is an example of a Story Map we created for the Alpine Science Institute of CWC.

Scroll down and toggle your cursor until a small plus sign appears. Hovering over it turns it green. Click on the green plus and a variety of options will appear. There are four different categories in the this menu (called the block palete)

Try Various Options: Begin with the Paragraph option. Choose Paragraph, then type in (or paste in) some text. Highlight your text and try the Quote format.

Paragraph: For example In 2020 I participated in the CWC/EPScoR Summer Program. Find a rhythm with text and visuals so that your story flows.

Quote text: example:

In 2020 I participated in the CWC/EPScoR Summer Program.

Subheading format:

If you hover your mouse above the image you will see options for various image sizes. size Layout generally suggests using the largest image sparingly. This image was placed into a ppt and had a border added to it. From there the snipping tool can be used to recapture the image.

You can only select sizes for which your image is large enough; e.g., you'll only be able to choose the large option if your image is at least 1,920 pixels wide. The image above does not meet these parameters.

Option 1: Add a Map from maps that you have created in AGOL

Note the button that says New express map. For fast, simple, ready to go maps - this might be a great option in some instances.

When you draw a point, line, or a shape/area, the new feature is added to a layer in the layers panel See image below: (1). Click on a feature in the layers panel list to add pop-up content (2). You can add an image, a title, and a description; then click Done. Here (3) is how the completed pop-up looks.

There are four options at the bottom of the block palette: sidecar, slideshow, swipe, and guided tour. Each of these adds flexibility to your tale and the room to add content without making the scroll length any longer. Sidecar creates some very nice visual enhancements, and is somewhat similar to the Slideshow. Slideshow is particular helpful for creating a presentation.

Sidecar has two layout choices:  floating panel layout designed for visually striking media with short captions or descriptions, and the docked panel layout -- optimal for longer narrative content, as it doesn’t overlap the media.

You'll notice a dark strip at the bottom of your sidecar in the builder, which we call the slide panel (it's initially collapsed when you insert an immersive). You can use this panel to create a series of sequential sidecar slides.

You can drag and drop thumbnail images to change the order of your slides, and you can click the three dots below the thumbnails to duplicate, delete, or hide a slide. Duplicating a slide duplicates the media within it, including web maps and scenes.

Images in the media panel automatically fill the space within it (below at left), which means that they'll probably be cropped a bit. You can opt to have the media "fit" the space instead of "fill" it by clicking the gear icon and choosing the fit option (right, below).

A second embedded option is the Slideshow (still in beta). This creates the closest approximation to a power point, BUT still relies on the web - heads up - no internet, no Story Map. The presentation below uses the Slideshow Immersive.

Again, slideshows work great for presentations. It's best to keep the text within each slide as concise as you can. It is advisable to keep your text short.

Guided tour lets you walk your audience through a small set of places in sequential order. As readers scroll, the map's focus shifts from one tour stop to the next; accompanying text and media (photos and/or video) for that place are displayed alongside it. If you dive into the Story Map below, you will find an example of a Guided Tour.

There are two formats for the Guided Tour - Map Focused and Media Focused.

The map focused option positions the map a the more prominent focus and the images and descriptions as side information, in floating panels.

The media focused layout puts map and text in a side panel, and the larger emphasis is placed on the images.

Story maps also allow you to incorporate other web content into your narrative - you can do this as links, or have the content fully embedded.

Choose Embed in the block palette, and copy in a URL.

In the Story Map header (if you have clicked on EDIT) you will see Design and Preview. In Design you can change colors, text, etc of your Story Map.

You can also use the design panel to change the cover layout.

The minimal option gives you the choice of a including horizontal-format image above the title, or no image at all.

If you want a deeper dive into all the ways you can leverage the design panel you should check out  this blog article .

The Customize section of the design panel gives you some additional options:

• The accent color can be changed. This allows for use of one of recommended hues or changing the color to the one you choose.
• Changing the accent color changes separators, buttons, and other items in the story; it also changes the color of any express map features that used the original accent color.
• Fonts can be changed.
• A logo can be added. The logo will appear in the story header, and you can link it to your website if you choose.

For more detail on maximizing the efficacy of the design panel you should check out  this blog article .

Consider how your Story reads for people with visual impairments or other challenges. This blog offers more tips on   writing accessible StoryMap content .

Finally, also in the Design panel that we haven't mentioned: It's the ability to toggle on and off story navigation and a credits section.

By enabling navigation, the headings within your story become bookmarks that appear within a navigation bar. This allows the pafe to function in a fashion similar to a web page, where the reader can click on the navigational tabs to jump to that section, or chapter, of the story.

The credits section adds a block at the end of your story, within which you can list data sources, image credits, and other footnote-style items. A two-column format lets you name and describe sources and incorporate hyperlinks. The section has a slightly different background than the rest of the story to visually separate it from the main narrative.

At the end of your summer program you will be asked to submit a Story Map to me that I can share wtih EPSCoR as a demonstration of your participation in the Program.

NOTE: It is unlikely that you will end up actually presenting your Story Map in person, or over zoom, so please make your Story Map read like an online Story - regardless of what your topic is, include as much text as it needs to support the recounting of your tale.

For this you will produce at least one Story Map - this can be one you create for this class, or any other class from your summer program, but it must contain the following: