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Visualizing Data in ArcGIS Online

CREATE A STORY MAP

Some of you have probably already seen examples of Story Maps.

Anyone with an ArcGIS Online account can create one, and they are a good way to tell a story with maps, pictures, videos, and text.

They can be used as a presentation tool in place of PowerPoint, especially if you want to incorporate maps or embedded interactive content.

Examples of Story Maps

In this section, we’ll add the web maps we created to a Story Map and practice adding other content as well.

First uncheck all the layers except Deaths (proportional) in your map and save it.

There are a couple different ways to create a Story Map.

To start from scratch, go to Story Maps and click on New Story.

For this workshop, we’ll use a different method.

To Do

From the top left of your web map, click on the three horizontal lines dropdown arrow and then right-click on Content, selecting Open in new tab.

1 Click on the map you created and just exited listed in the contents.

This will take you to the Overview page.

2 On the far right, from the Create Web App dropdown, select StoryMaps.

This will take you to a template with your web map already embedded.

3 Add a title and subtitle. You can copy and paste the text below to use.

Title: Mapping Coronavirus Deaths

Subtitle: Visualizing COVID-19 Deaths in ArcGIS Online

Scrolling down, you’ll see your interactive web map. The popups will work as you configured them.

Let’s add some context before the web map.

4 Above the web map, click on the + sign to see the options.

5 Choose to add an Image, use the Link option and past the following URL: https://ginsberg.umich.edu/files/gb/field/image/covid-19_C.jpg

6 Next choose to add a Heading by click the + sign below the image you just added.

You might ask a question in the heading, such as A Brief History of COVID-19

7 Add text above the map by clicking on the plus sign and selecting Text. Copy and paste the text in the paragraphs below. Note that the numbers will have changed by the time you are doing this exercise.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, more commonly known as COVID-19, originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Nearly two years later, there are a documented 258,249,487 cases around the world and 5,159,012 deaths. There have been 7,423,757,252 vaccine doses administered.

The most recent COVID-19 statistics are tracked in an Esri Dashboard hosted by John Hopkins University.

Below are a series of web maps representing COVID-19 deaths in different ways, beginning with a global view and then narrowing in on health regions across the country of Canada.

8 Add a link to the word Dashboard with this URL: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

9 Scroll beneath the embedded web map and add the following caption: COVID-19 Deaths Greater Than 10,000

10 Click the + sign below and select Map and then add the same web map we created in this workshop. Hover over the top middle of the map and click on the pencil icon to edit it. In edit mode, click the Settings wheel to turn the Legend and then Place map in the lower right.

This will open up a window to allow you to choose which layers to show in this map.

11 Make sure all layers are off except Case Fatality Ratio (%). Click the Settings wheel to turn the Legend on for this map and place it.

12 Recaption this map as Case Fatality Ratio (%)

13 Click the + sign below again and add the web map, this time with only the Deaths Per Pop & Pop 85 + layer turned on. Turn the legend on for this map, too.

14 Recaption this map as Relationship between deaths per total population and population 85 years and older.

If you have more time, you can experiment with adding more content to your story map.

For example, you can do a Google Image search to find images to add.

You can change the style of your Story Map in a certain section by choosing to add a different template. template.jpg

You can also change some aspects of the design of your Story Map by clicking the Design button at the top right of the page.

15 When you’re done configuring your Story Map, click on Preview to see what it will look like outside of edit mode.

16 By clicking Publish, you can choose to share your Story Map with your organization if your Esri account is linked to an organizational account or share it with the public.

Your story map should end up looking something like this one.

Esri recently started promoting this style of the Story Map we have been experimenting with here.

Their older styles, called Classic Story Maps, offer different functionality and in some cases, more map-centric Story Maps.

If you are interested in checking out other possibilities, you can tour the Classic Story Map gallery.