All maps tell a story, and with the latest tools, anyone can make maps to tell their stories. Traditional cartographers are increasingly being joined by "neocartographers" who haven't had any formal training in cartography to populate the web with millions of maps.
Neocartographers often map stories that are personal and subjective with little consideration of cartographic quality, and they are sometimes their own audience. They use publically-generated data and open source tools to make the maps they want to make showing things the way they want to. In contrast, traditionally-trained cartographers follow cartographic conventions, use authoritative data sets, master complex software, and always strive for objectivity and accuracy. The tension between the unconventional style of neocartographers and the prescribed methods of traditional cartographers provides fertile ground for exploring maps in today's online environment.
Using a combination of neo- and traditional cartographic approaches, I tell the stories of Canadian canoe voyageurs as written by Dr. Gerald Patterson in "Free and Easy" (2013). Dr. Patterson's canoe voyages were inspired by his "fascination with the stories about the 18th-century trading routes in northern Saskatchewan" and the vague tales he had heard about "the vast reaches of Tundra prairies in the Northwest Territories and the great rivers that cut through them on the way to the Arctic Ocean". The online story maps that accompany "Free and Moving" attempt to capture these inspirations and the adventures of Dr. Patterson and his fellow voyageurs.
1. The Stories Maps Tell
Exploring Online Maps through the Adventures of
Canoe Voyageurs in Canada
aileen buckley | professional cartographer
esri | 380 new york street | redlands, ca 92373-8100
O: 909.793.2853 x2997 | C: 909.289.1798
abuckley@esri.com
15. Story maps inspire and inform
They’re built with care and thought about your audience
Compiled on
ArcGIS Online
from desktop
maps, services,
CSVs
Web
map
Story maps combine web maps with
web applications and templates that
incorporate text, multimedia, and
interactive functions
Intelligent
Repeatedly refined
map
design, configured
popups, edited
titles and
descriptions
Published into
websites, apps, and
templates that
provide context and
user experience
Story
map
Story maps inform, educate, entertain, and inspire people about the world
16. Story map templates
They provide…
Social media
links
A place for
title and
subtitle
Branding
Multimedia
and text
windows
Web map
placement
and controls
Most importantly,
a simple user experience that supports the story
20. Compiling a Story Map
Raw Materials
Map
services
Tabular
data
Desktop
map
Base
map
Multimedi
a content
Text
21. Compiling a Story Map
Raw Materials
Web Map(s)
Shared on ArcGIS Online
Map
services
Tabular
data
Desktop
map
Base
map
Multimedia
content
Text
Ingredients:
• Basemap
• One or more services
• Point data from
spreadsheet
• Maintains source info
• Lightweight, versatile
22. Compiling a Story Map
Raw Materials
Web Map(s)
Apps/templates
Apps provide:
Map
services
Tabular
data
• Format for
title, text,
legend
Desktop
map
Base
map
• Key
functionalities,
e.g., swipe
tool, timeline
Multimedi
a content
Text
23. Compiling a Story Map
Raw Materials
Web Map(s)
Apps/templates
Audience
Map
services
Tabular
data
Web
Desktop
map
Base
map
Tablet
Multimedi
a content
Text
Mobile
26. Where to Find Templates
Template gallery at
storymaps.esri.com
Storytelling Templates
group on ArcGIS.com
Application options in
“Share” function on AGOL
27. About Story Map Templates
•
Javascript: They’ll work across platforms
•
Open source: You can download and
configure them
•
We’ll continue to refine existing templates,
and add new ones
32. The Story Maps Effort is Part of a Bigger Shift
GIS is emerging from the back office
•
Enabled by the Internet, the Cloud, mobile
•
Accessible to many more people
•
Available for new uses
It means that your roles are changing
It means thinking and acting in new ways
34. The New GIS
•
Decision support
•
Asset management
•
Planning and analysis
•
Emancipating data
•
Field mobility
•
Briefing colleagues
•
Situational awareness
•
Involving constituents
•
Public awareness
•
Informing
•
Inspiring
•
Entertaining
and now…
35. Affecting Change
•
GIS has been quietly changing the world
•
It’s time to drop the “quietly”
•
The old excuses are gone:
-
The bandwidth is inadequate
-
The tools aren’t there
-
•
I don’t have the data
People aren’t connected
Now is the time!
All maps tell a story, and with the latest tools, anyone can make maps to tell their stories. Traditional cartographers are increasingly being joined by "neocartographers" who haven't had any formal training in cartography to populate the web with millions of maps. Neocartographers often map stories that are personal and subjective with little consideration of cartographic quality, and they are sometimes their own audience. They use publically-generated data and open source tools to make the maps they want to make showing things the way they want to. In contrast, traditionally-trained cartographers follow cartographic conventions, use authoritative data sets, master complex software, and always strive for objectivity and accuracy. The tension between the unconventional style of neocartographers and the prescribed methods of traditional cartographers provides fertile ground for exploring maps in today's online environment. Using a combination of neo- and traditional cartographic approaches, I tell the stories of Canadian canoe voyageurs as written by Dr. Gerald Patterson in "Free and Moving" (2013). Dr. Patterson's canoe voyages were inspired by his "fascination with the stories about the 18th-century trading routes in northern Saskatchewan" and the vague tales he had heard about "the vast reaches of Tundra prairies in the Northwest Territories and the great rivers that cut through them on the way to the Arctic Ocean". The online story maps that accompany "Free and Moving" attempt to capture these inspirations and the adventures of Dr. Patterson and his fellow voyageurs.
But all three are really parts of a single whole: Consider web maps as incorporating all of them
FIRST: What is your story? What are its goals? Who is your audience?
Putting ArcGIS desktop maps up as services is now easy!
Arrows are linear, but there’s lots of back and forth