ArcGIS Online-Story Map Tutorial
http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/
Purpose: Using ArcGIS Online-Story Maps Application, the session will cover how to combine text, images and
videos into a story map that you use geography as a means of organizing these information online. It will be
useful for many disciplines for teaching and presentation, especially catching on among journalists.
NOTE: Use Chrome or Firefox. MS Internet Explorer is not well supported.
Tools Need: Any spreadsheet (Excel or Google Spreadsheet).
1. Create an ArcGIS Online Account
Context: Story Maps is an application of ArcGIS online. In order to access the Story Maps tool, it is
essential that you need a free account set up with ArcGIS online in advance before the workshop.
Go to ArcGIS Online (https://www.arcgis.com/home/createaccount.html) to create your own
account. Your story map will be also saved in the ArcGIS online server and you can access to it with
your user name.
2. Get familiar with Story Maps Application
Context: Story Maps have three major style templets: Story Map Tour, Story Map Cascade and Story
Map Journal. See the styles: http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/app-list/ and the Gallery:
http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/gallery/#s=0
Begin with familiarizing yourself with the various Map Styles and choose a style that fits you best for
you story.
3. Learn more Story Maps: https://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/get-started-with-story-maps/
Context: Each lesson plan has a detailed tutorial on how to procedure the steps: Upload your images,
Build Tour and Write the text. Click on one session such as Story Map Tour and see what options are
available within the style. Also each style has slightly different rules and access (i.e. only landscape
oriented pictures accepted for Story Map Journal ; videos should be accessible through your
YouTube account only or not; hyperlink in the text is not available for Story Tour).
4. Hands-On Exercise with Story Map Tour with Side Panel option
Context: you can go to this template (http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/app-list/) and click, the Build
button and add your information (text, image or videos, maps) interactively to build your story.
However, it is easier to upload your spreadsheet to a story map application that will plot it for you
on a map. Also you need to think and organize your places and their contents before you enter this
application.
Note: You don’t need to create a web map with ArcGIS Online to create a Story Map using this tour
template.
Procedure: Create your spreadsheet using Excel or Google Spreadsheet
1. With field names : name, caption, latitude, longitude, pic_url, thumb_url The six field
names should be exactly as the same as the shown here because they are the specified field
names required by the application.
2. Save your spreadsheet in CVS
NOTE: Instead of latitude and longitude, you can use address of each point. then you need to
use separate columns for address, city , and state, Zip. Story Maps applications only accept csv
or txt format.
3. Enter the information of each field in your spreadsheet in a separate row such as latitude
and longitude and image URL (See the procedures below) except caption (description) field.
[Exercise Content: your weekly activity space in your local environment]
Procedure: Find latitude and longitude for your point.
Go to Google Maps (maps.google.com )
Search an address or a place (such as NVCC, Alexandria)
When a location marker appears on the Google base map, right click your mouse on
it>chose, What’s here? (see the left figure below)
Check the bottom of the map. You will see the information appeared like the the right
figure example below) and copy and paste the latitude and the longitude information to
your spreadsheet under each column (use short cut such as Crtl-C (copy) and Crtl-V
(paste))
Procedure: Find a pic_url or thumb_url for your images
NOTE: you need to use public domain images (non-copyright protected).
Go to Google Images Search (images.google.com).
Search images that you want to use (i.e. type, NVCC Alexandria). Then, go to
Settings (on the menu bar)> Advance Search. then usage rights (on the bottom)>
free to use or share option. This will filter down your search image result with only
public domain (creative common licensed or non-copyright protected)
Choose one image that you like to include in your story map and Right Click your
mouse on the image, Copy Image Address on Chrome (Copy Image Location on
Firefox). Copy and paste the address to your excel row under pic_url (the address
should be ending .jpg .png or .gif). NOTE: you can use the same pic_url for thumb-
url unless you have a thumb_url of the image or you can leave the thumb-url info
blank.
Save your spreadsheet in CSV (save as> type a file name (i.e. storymap_xx) in
comma delimited) after you enter all latitude and longitude and pic_url information.
Caption is the description information about each place. It is easier to enter your
text (caption) within story map builder mode.
Procedure: Upload and Edit your spreadsheet to Story Map Applications
Go to the Story Map Applications (http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/app-list/)
Choose a style, Story Map Tour (i.e.) and click “BUILD, log in with your ArcGIS
online username and password.
Click on Advanced option from the screen
Import the tour data from a CSV file and locate your CSV file on your compute, then
hit, the Import button
You will see a screen like this below. your picture is automaticlly shown in the right
and the map is automatically in the left side
.
Click Edit me! on the top (the pencil icon) and type your title of your story (i.e,
My Weekly Activity Place or My Visiting Places, etc.)
Edit a title of each point and a description (<350 characters) associated with this
place.
Organize your tour points by click on on the left side of the navigation bar
Click on on the left side of the navigation bar and click, EXTENT>Edit the
extent to modify your map size if your map does not include your last tour
point—by dragging the dotted line.
Save your map by clicking on on the top left corner of the map.
Make your map shareable by clicking on so that anyone with the link can see your
story map (After this assignment, you can remove this sharable option too).
Done with your story map.
Once it is published, you can edit or change it by clicking switch to builder mode (go to
www.arcgis.com and sign in your account, then click on “Content” menu to see your
saved story map application.
OPATION : Add another tour point, click on and click Picture or Video button and input
the video URL. You can use images directly available through Flickr or YouTube (need to have
Flickr or YouTube account and those should be publically sharable).
See the detailed information to add Videos for Story Map Tour template:
https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-online/uncategorized/add-youtube-videos-
to-your-story-map-tour/
See Story Map FAQ site for more help: http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/faq/#category4
Contact Joy Suh (hsuh1@gmu.edu) if you have any questions. Spring 2019
