StoryMaps

StoryMaps are narrative-driven mapping experiences that integrate geographic information with multimedia content to tell stories about places, events, or phenomena. They present a sequence of slides or sections where users read text, view images and videos, and explore interactive maps.

Most widely used in this domain are Esri's StoryMaps, a collection of web applications that support storytelling with maps. The platform offers templates such as Map Tour, Cascade, Sidecar, Journal, and Microsite, each designed to organize content around a geographic storyline. Content creators assemble narratives by combining written copy, photographs, video, audio, and embedded maps or scenes from a web GIS. Stories are typically hosted on a mapping platform such as ArcGIS Online and can be shared publicly or embedded in websites.

StoryMaps emphasize immersion, context, and spatial awareness. They are accessible across devices due to responsive design and can be authored by individuals, schools, government agencies, media organizations, and nonprofits. They are used for journalism, education, cultural heritage, urban planning, disaster response, and tourism promotion, among other fields.

Alternative tools exist for similar purposes, including open-source or independent platforms like StoryMapJS, which provide similar capabilities without a proprietary stack. In practice, StoryMaps blend narrative prose with interactive cartography to convey place-based stories in a structured, linear or non-linear format.