THE SECOND-BEST STORYMAPS TUTORIAL TO EVER EXIST ON WORDPRESS

Today, I’m going to walk my readers through a tutorial of how to use ArcGIS Storymaps – specifically, the map tour feature. ArcGIS storymaps provides a way for users to create multimedia content with maps they create using ArcGIS software. Using the software is similar to creating a Powerpoint, and you can easily create express maps to weave a narrative through mapping. This could be particularly useful for DGAH because a lot of humanities research deals with a specific place or route. Some examples include migration, trade routes, historical battles, cultural diffusion, segregation, archaeological sites, and environmental change. StoryMaps let you show these spatial relationships dynamically instead of only describing them. The interactive maps that you create can have features like archive photos, manuscript images, audio/video clips, timeline graphics, textual analysis, and zooming.

For this tutorial, I will focus on the map tour feature.

After you have logged into your storymaps account, create a new story and configure your heading/information for your specific topic.

Then, hit the plus button and insert a new Immersive Map Tour feature.

Next, you will be prompted to a screen that allows you to choose whether you want to start from scratch, an image, or an already created feature layer. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will start from scratch, but feel free to start with a feature layer or an image if you have one in mind! After choosing to start from scratch, choose which layout you would like. Media focused is for if the content is the main point of your storymap, and map focused is for if the map is the main point. Today, I will choose map focused.

Next, you’ll be taken to a screen where most of the magic happens! It looks like this:

From here, you can do many things. First, let’s talk about the self explanatory things! For each slide, you can add an image, a title, a description, and a location – all laid out on the media box on the left. To add a slide, press the plus button in the bottom right corner.

To edit the basemap, press the pencil button in the middle of the screen. Doing so will take you here:

This screen is where you can choose a new map theme, change the zoom, change what your pinpoints look like, and decide if you want a progress line to show between points. After you have decided on your settings, let’s go back and add points!

Click on the add location button from the main map tour screen, and either search for or click on the location you want to add. Let’s add my hometown – Salem, Oregon.

Once you find the point, click “Add to map” and save it. From the home screen, you can continue adding slides and points until you are satisifed with your map! Below, I’ve embedded an example from our final project of what Storymaps can create! Additionally, here are two links to other video/website tutorials for using Storymaps.

Have fun storymapping!