Intro to ArcGIS StoryMaps

Despite the name, StoryMaps can be made without incorporating maps! It can be used as an effective tool in creating dynamic presentations or resources!

First things first, you will navigate to  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/  in a browser, and sign in using the username and password associated with your ArcGIS Online account. If you don't know your ArcGIS Online login information please email gis@peterborough.ca.

Once logged in, you will be directed to the 'My Stories' landing page. This is where you will find any stories that you have authored, along with those shared by others in your groups and organizations.

Click the 'New Story' button to launch and create a new StoryMap.

The first step in organizing your story is selecting a theme.

Click the 'Design' button in the ribbon to open the story design window.

Here you can choose from three different cover formatting options: minimal, side-by-side, and full.

Under 'Optional story sections', enabling the 'Navigation' option helps your readers move around the StoryMap. This will use your headings to provide bookmarks on the page.

Next, you can select a theme for your story. There are six preset themes built into StoryMaps. As well, several custom 'City of Peterborough' themes have been developed.

To choose a custom theme: select 'Browse Themes' to open the themes window, then click the 'My Organization' tab in the ribbon. The custom themes will appear, select one to apply it to your story. If you wish to develop your own custom theme, you can learn more  here .

Now that the theme is set, you can begin to craft the contents of your story. The first thing is the cover.

In the main window, follow the prompts on screen to add a title, subtitle, byline, and/or a cover image/video. This cover image will be used as the default thumbnail for your StoryMap. Further, if you choose a video or gif as a cover, the first frame of the video will be used as the thumbnail.

There are two key components when adding content to your StoryMap: text and images. To add these simple elements to your story, click the green button with a plus sign, which is located on the left side of the page.

Text Options To edit a piece of text, highlight the section you wish to edit and options will appear in a bar. Here, you can format the text (bold, italics), add links, alter the text colour, and change its alignment.

This is also where you can choose which type of text your selection will appear as. The following options are available:

Image Options Once an image has been added, there are several adjustments you can make. Hover over the image, and an options bar will appear. Here, you can choose the image alignment, and size. Further, by clicking on the gear icon you can add an attribution and alternative text to the image. It is important to note that all images must have descriptive alt-text to comply with accessibility requirements.

Each piece of content has a symbol on the left side (shown below). Click and drag this to move content around your StoryMap. A green line will appear, and it will move up and down the screen with your cursor, indicating where your content will drop once you release your mouse.

You can also divide sections in your content by using separators, which can be found by clicking the green plus. These are styled based on your theme, so they will always fit seemlessly into your story.

StoryMaps will automatically save the project after each edit. In the top left of your screen, you will see that your story is 'saved', as well as that it is a draft version.

To add content to your story, click the green button with a plus sign, which is located on the left side of the page. When clicked, an options box will appear with many different content choices. Select one and begin telling your story. The image below shows the different content types you can use.

There are several different ways that media can be incorported into your StoryMap. Use photos, videos, audio and/or embed links (such as social media posts), to deliver your message.

**Note: the twitter embed below may not load depending on your browser and pop-up settings.**

There are some unique options:

Button: this feature contains a link to an external site or resource that opens when the user clicks on the button.

Swipe: this allows users to compare two side by side maps or images with an interactive slider. This is very effective in displaying a 'before and after'.

Timeline: allows users to create a sequence of 'events' with accompanying text and images. The timeline is versatile and can be used for non temporal content, such as sequential instructions or a ranked list. Photos can also be included to provide an additonal level of context.

The timeline example below outlines the broad steps needed to create and publish a StoryMap.

The immersive content provides unique multimedia formats. There are 3 options for immersives in StoryMaps: slideshow, sidecar and map tour.

Slideshow: a series of slides similar to Power Point or Google Slides. The user can navigate laterally through the slides to view content.

Sidecar: a series of slides that the user scrolls through vertically.

There are 2 ways to include a map in your StoryMap.

Map: bring in maps already created in ArcGIS Online, or create an express map on the fly. You can choose which layers are shown, create bookmarks, and include other map functionality such as navigation and location searching.

Map Tour: the map tour allows you to display multiple map views sequentially. There are two options: guided tour and explorer tour

• Guided tour functions similar to the side car, and moves between map views as the user scrolls down the page. These are accompanied by floating text boxes that can be used to provide more context to the content.
• Explorer Tour places points on a map that the user can browse in whatever order they like. When they click on a point, a pop up window will appear with details about that point

The Doors Open 2022 StoryMap below displays an effective use of a guided tour.

Want to learn more about incorporating maps? Consult Esri's blog posts that discuss  guided  and  explorer  tours, as well as the step-by-step guides for  each   type .

For detailed instructions in building and using map blocks in StoryMaps  see this guide from Esri .

Prior to publishing your story, it is a good idea to preview your work. Click the preview button in the top right to see how your StoryMap looks and functions on a variety of devices: desktop, tablet and phone. Select each different screen format by using the tab in the bottom right.

Click the 'Publish' button near the top right of the page to make the drop down window appear. Here you can select who you wish to share your StoryMap with. Choose one of 'Private', 'My Organization' or 'Everyone', as well as any groups you wish to share your content with.

Thank you for taking the time to view this guide.

You can now embark on creating your own StoryMaps!

Please consult the further resources section for more guides and information.

Note: this guide is an overview of what ArcGIS StoryMaps' can offer, and provides the steps needed to get started in creating your own StoryMap. If you require more detailed information or instructions please consult the advanced guide from ESRI by clicking the button or following any of the links below.

• Allen Carroll,  “Getting Started with ArcGIS StoryMaps,”  ESRI StoryMaps (30 October 2019)
•  “Planning Your Next Story Map” worksheet  from ESRI StoryMaps
• Esri’s StoryMaps team,  “Embedding content in ArcGIS StoryMaps,”  ArcGIS Blog (18 November 2019)
• Greyson Harris,  “Four Ways to Tell a Story With Place,”  ArcGIS Blog (26 November 2019)
• Hannah Wilber,  “Create a standout story with ArcGIS StoryMaps’ design panel,”  ArcGIS Blog (30 August 2019)
• Hannah Wilber,  “Planning and outlining your story map: How to set yourself up for success,”  ArcGIS Blog (16 June 2019)
•  Articles on Story Maps  from the ArcGIS Blog
•  Link to YouTube playlist  with tutorial videos from ArcGIS
•  Nine Steps to Great Storytelling  from the ArcGIS Blog