What is a Storymap in ArcGIS? - 2024

For all career-specific GIS users who want to take map-based communication to the next level, the tool of choice is ArcGIS StoryMaps. Thanks to the simple builder, it is possible to coalesce maps, 3D scenes, embedded objects, multimedia content, and more to create interactive stories that drive people to engage in activities. In any case, whether you want to share your findings with others promote a particular cause, or explain a project that you have been working on, ArcGIS StoryMaps will provide you with a suitable tool to share your story. 

ArcGIS StoryMaps are still under development at Esri and incorporate the feedback received from the community, with new features that improve the story. In this blog let me share with you the other enhancements made in 2024 that can help boost your creativity.
Express Map Image Base Layer: Creativity Uncontained 

Express Map Image Base Layer: A Canvas for Creativity

Express maps have been for years preferred for making quick and easy reference maps right within the ArcGIS StoryMaps builder. In this update, Esri has extended this functionality by allowing the user to use images as the base layer in the express map builder. 

This new feature shows a whole new domain of creativity. Just think about passing through a photograph with such aids as interactive pop-ups or turning to annotations to clarify the information. The dynamic map tools that formerly could be employed just in corresponding base maps and web maps may be used in images assisting a powerful combination of vision and interactivity. 

This is now in beta and the ArcGIS StoryMaps team is looking forward to hearing from you. This new feature is bound to engender some level of creativity and revolutionize the way the narration is done. 

Closed Captions for Video: Enhancing Accessibility

This is one aspect that the ArcGIS StoryMaps has been keen on and the new addition of closed captions for videos is a great boost. The videos are among the oldest and still among the best ways to convey a story and to engage the audiences, especially with the current advancement that allows the inclusion of closed captions using a . Your stories can extend to a still wider audience than by its file. 

It is easy to add closed captions. After you place the video, go down to the video settings, click on the new Accessibility tab, and upload your file. Uploaded videos then allow the captioning to be enabled via the options of the browser being used. In addition to the provision for the disabled, it allows your page to be more informative and interesting to all visitors. 

Browse Gallery Images in Expanded View: A Visual Journey

The last concept in the stream of thought on activity theory is attribution, recently described as a map of actors’ experiences. 

Photographs typically form a working part of place-centric kind of essays providing the readers with vivid opportunities to plunge into the places you name. ArcGIS StoryMaps has now enhanced the image gallery interface to have a wider view for easy navigation of the images and other visual media. 

With this particular update, it is possible to navigate through the images in the gallery as it has been turned into a series of full-screen images. A strip of thumbnails is placed at the bottom to enable its users to have an initial feel of what is in the video in case they lose their focus while continuing the video, there are back/forward icons to enable one to easily navigate. This enhancement will help the readers to interact with your visuals in a much simpler and effective way thus improving the general flow of the visual content. 

Map Tour Tooltips: Improved Navigation for Your Audience

One such aspect of ArcGIS StoryMaps is map tours and this is essentially a fold with an interactive experience of maps, media, and the text. To further simplify the navigation, the latest update includes changes to tooltips which provide better guidance on how the points on the map are related to those in the sidebar. 

As you move the cursor over an item in the side panel, the information in the map appears and the item that you have your cursor over is underlined. Likewise, place information is provided by hovering the cursor over a map point, so the readers can quickly identify what they might want to visit next. Such prompts help guide the viewer and make the general perception experience more pleasant and efficient in order not to distract the viewer’s attention during the tour. 

Conclusion: The Future of Storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps

When you were growing up, you may have thought stories were just a way of passing your time, or even simply entertainment but today stories are going to be more than that they are going to be the future of ArcGIS StoryMaps. 

ArcGIS StoryMaps remains to be active, and with time it unbosoms more features that enable the makers to develop more effective and easy-to-use narratives. Starting from the express map image base layer to closed captions, all these changes are clear stakeholders of Esri’s pursuit of user-end enhancement. 

For the future perspectives and the year 2024 and further, more interesting developments can be expected that will amplify your storytelling experience even more. New to StoryMaps or a long-time user, there are always new ways how to better connect and captivate your audience with these new features. 

Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check for more updates on this blog and happy storytelling.

Meta Tags: ArcGIS StoryMaps 2024, new features, express maps, closed captions, map tour tooltips, image gallery, interactive storytelling, Esri, map-based storytelling, accessibility features, ArcGIS updates, multimedia storytelling.

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