Five Unconventional Uses for ArcGIS StoryMaps

ArcGIS StoryMaps, a digital, spatial storytelling tool, was designed to showcase maps with their corresponding narratives. While much of our user community utilizes this tool for professional storytelling, many people are also finding creative uses beyond GIS. Our team has scoured the user community for unique use cases, which have inspired our own content creation. Here are five unique ways to use ArcGIS StoryMaps for your own personal storytelling.

1. Vacation Recap 

Did you take a lot of great geo-tagged photos on your recent vacation? Do you want to tell your friends and family about your trip? Consider using a map tour with images to walk readers through your getaway. Here are some inspirational vacation stories to get you started. 

• Three Days in Point Reyes
• Five Walks in South Devon
• The Great In-Between

2. Outdoor Adventures 

Adventures are inherently spatial; storytellers are creating web maps showcasing their endurance activities, backpacking trips, and offroad adventures and combining them with multimedia and storytelling. Check out our favorite adventure stories. 

• Offroading through Risk and Reward
• Road to Boston
• Backcountry Camping

3. Hobbies 

Do you have a unique hobby that you love to show off? One of the greatest features of ArcGIS StoryMaps is the variety of ways in which you can showcase multimedia. With image galleries, videos, and 360 images, you can immerse your viewers in your work. From baking to golfing, get inspired to write about your passions. 

• Divots and Dashboards
• Key to the City
• Abuela’s Huevos Rancheros

4. Cultural Studies 

Humans are spatial beings with stories that can be immersive and bold. Consider using ArcGIS StoryMaps to tell media-rich, smooth-scrolling tales of people and communities. Here are a few cultural stories we’ve shared.

• A Maine Island
• Picking Apart the School Lunch
• Roadsides and Streetscapes
• The Scars of Prosperity

5. Projects, Portfolios, and Beyond

If you’re looking for a place to consolidate your past work, consider using ArcGIS StoryMaps to showcase your personal projects. From book launches to graphic design to photography, users are taking advantage of immersive blocks to embed web maps, display photography, write about accomplishments, and even chart their work history for prospective employers.  

• An Herbal Exploration
• Rock, Paper, Maps
• My Journey to Esri

The powerful, easy-to-use tools within ArcGIS StoryMaps make digital storytelling approachable and fun. Consider an unconventional way to tell a spatial story and share it with us! We love being inspired by our user community.