More Adventures with GIS StoryMaps

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The three maps described in this article, as seen from a mobile device.

Disclaimer: (Note #1) All content here is my own. I do not use AI in my writing except for spelling and grammar checking. (I do use AI images, but not in this blog.)

Three years ago, I wrote about my adventure creating a GIS map of our canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters. I made that map early in 2022, after a trip in 2021. Unfortunately, I had difficulty with the ArcGIS StoryMap software and the map wasn’t what I hoped for when you imagine “a GIS map with pictures.”

More specifically: I bailed on creating a Story Map at all, because the map with our route did not display well within the Story Map. The problem was the path itself, which I had imported from a different tool. I did that because I had trouble using the ArcGIS “Sketch” feature to trace the line. Instead of a Story Map, I used the more basic “Web Map,” which was published as an ArcGIS Instant App. (For more, including a link to that map, see this blog: https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/2022/07/two-adventures-canoeing-and-arcgis.html)

Two years later, in July 2023, members of our Scout Troop took another “high adventure” trip with the BSA - this time to their Sea Base in the Florida Keys. Sea Base provides incredible experiences for Scouts… especially Troops like ours from the Midwest prairie! Our crew of 8 took the Coral Reef Sailing Adventure; you can read about it and the other adventures here: https://www.bsaseabase.org/scouts/adventures/).  (Note #2)

Back home from sailing, I had another handwritten map, more pictures (the same waterproof camera was much better underwater!), and the desire to try again with a GIS Story Map to share them. (Note #3)

This time, ArcGIS StoryMaps was the right tool for the job – and worked great!

I liked it so much that I used it for two more maps. Each of the three maps is described below, with commentary about what I tried to do, what worked well, and what was unsatisfying.

I’m happy to share what I learned because I encourage you to use these awesome free tools to share your own adventures.

Here is a wonderful intro to making StoryMaps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cea22a609a1d4cccb8d54c650b595bc4

However, one note on the “free” part: it appears that ESRI is directing personal users towards a more limited tool called just “StoryMaps” – see this informational page: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/storytelling-solutions To be clear about what I used:

Here’s my Personal edition breakdown:

  • The good news: you have all the features I show in my Europe Story Map (see the 2nd one, below).
  • The bad news: you cannot add custom map layers, so it could not do either the Sailing Map or my Hiking map. For Sailing, I used the ArcGIS Online sketch tools to draw the route and for Hiking I imported a data file with the route and waypoints.

What follows are the maps and my experience as a software user learning the ArcGIS StoryMaps software, told in chronological order of my adventures.

Sailing - Story Map #1

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7f4fbcc9595b4301812bd0aaa5da10e7

Like the canoeing trip, the goal was to share our sailing path, including pictures and text linked to waypoints, with the Scouts and their families.  (A “waypoint” is a specific dot on the map.)

Also like our canoeing trip, I started with a hand-drawn line of voyage on a paper map. This time, the line was drawn by teenager… in pencil… written on a boat… for a path that went back and forth across the same area numerous times. Just figuring out our route from the jumble of lines was one of the biggest challenges!

Pro tip: story maps from normal vacations don’t need a route at all! Map #2 skips this hassle and just uses existing basemaps. For this sailing trip, however, the line of our route was part of the story.

The first step is to draw the path so it can be brought into ArcGIS StoryMaps as a basemap, where you add pictures.

Last time, tracing the route was the big problem: it was hard to use the Web Map “Sketch” controls. With the canoeing map, I gave up and used a different tool to draw, then imported the result as a single shape. That led to my formatting issues, but at that point I was in too deep and just finished it as best I could.

This time, I tried again with determination. The “Sketch” controls are still awkward for me. Drawing a long line is easy, but making a series of segments was hard. When clicking to end a segment, the path hangs onto your cursor like honey on a spoon; it’s hard to disengage! (I never mastered it.)  I had to cancel and re-start on sections several times, because until you’ve “completed” the line to the map’s satisfaction it won’t save that section. This was very frustrating. It should save your work click-by-click, but that’s not how it works.

Still, my biggest issues weren’t digital. Besides my challenges just reading the paper map, I had to scrutinize the online map – a satellite photograph – and identify tiny Florida Keys islands based on nuances in their shape.

A separate minor annoyance: while drawing the route in a Web Map, I added pins as waypoints and labeled them with the colorful names of the snorkeling sites, like: Alligator Reef, Hen & Chickens, and Coffins Patch. But when those waypoints display in Story Maps, their labels don’t show up.  The pins do, but not the names.

This is a link to the drawn map, with the colored pins and their names. It’s very much like the canoeing map – it’s the same tool - but this time I can use it as a basemap! https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=5ae2d3e940bc46e7bd0ae8a62c828762

Finally, with a basemap in place, the fun began.

Using ArcGIS StoryMaps to add pictures and text was a pleasure compared to drawing the map. I loved the way I could link photos to their map locations, and how the sections guide you through the sailing path. It was exactly the effect I was looking for.

After making this map, I was excited about the tool and wanted to us it to share a hiking route.  However, that effort bogged down – and I wound up putting the Hiking map on the shelf for about six months. Ultimately, that became my third map.

Europe – Map #2

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/30304a1eae9b4591a2c3028a560ca96a

My goal was to use the StoryMaps features I enjoyed, skipping the line-drawing completely. Instead, I wanted to show off my photos (Note #4) and explore all the tool’s visual capabilities. The story I’m showing was a trip to Europe with my son, in June 2024. We toured by train, on a 22-day Eurail pass. (Note #5.)

Jumping right into a StoryMap, I decided to try all the methods to display content – although I skipped the “Sidecar Slideshow” because the only difference was that it doesn’t auto-advance, and you would have to click each time to see the next picture.

The Europe StoryMap is self-documenting; it discusses (and shows) the options for pictures linked to a map location, along with my commentary on both the trip and the tool.

Overall, my experience with StoryMaps was very good, but I have a few (small) complaints.

  • I can’t remove the Date in the header.  Who cares when I published it?
  • I like when pictures use “fit” (so they do not crop) instead of “fill,” which auto-crops my pictures. Unfortunately, there’s no setting to change the default; I had to change this on every picture.
  • Uploading several photos at a time is laggy. After you select photos, you see buttons for Upload and Save. Um, both? I chose save. (My rule is to always save before doing anything else, in case things don’t work). Nothing seemed to happen. I click upload. Nothing happens. After a lengthy pause, the window closes and its done. I didn’t know which one worked! (They’ve improved this… it’s now just “Add” – a great change.)   (Note #6) I learned to upload no more than 10 at a time.

But those are small complaints compared to the ease and fun I had making the map. That was awesome, with the exception of writing the text for each picture. (Note #7)

Finishing the Europe map made me excited to return to an idea I’d had after my first GIS map from 2022… showing a curated hike.

Hiking – Story Map #3

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bc9fb2202e464cbfbd47e5ea7138fa4f

My goal here was a guided hiking trail that people can download and follow on a phone app, using the StoryMap to show an overview of the trail with text and pictures to entice (and warn) people about the hike. And to show off my photos - of course!

A little background here: during the pandemic, I hiked to get outside and away from long days tied to my computer. Using the app Alltrails (https://www.alltrails.com/) I could find and follow hiking paths around my area. (I’m fortunate: Champaign County has a wonderful Forest Preserve District! https://www.champaignforests.org/)

Soon I was using the Alltrails Pro app to record my own trails. You could save a hike with text, waypoints, and photos… and even submit it for inclusion as a new trail! However, when the trail was published as an official one, it was stripped of everything but the path itself – no pictures, no waypoints, no text. (I’m proud to say a few of mine were! Like this early version of a hike in the same location: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/illinois/river-bend-forest-preserve-double-loop) And that was IF it was approved - others of mine were not selected. (FYI: I approve of the pickiness. It’s good to have curated content.)

But the last straw was this: I tried sharing my saved content (with my photos and waypoints) with others, but you can’t see it unless you are also a paying customer.

After my successes with StoryMaps, I returned to my goal of a curated hike… and now I was determined to use only free tools for the audience and the map maker.

This was after I made the Europe map, so I knew StoryMaps by this point. I decided to use only the “Map focused” mode of the Map Tour - the mode I liked best.  I wanted it uniform in appearance and even zoom level (the zoom is “Building” if you’re curious.)

Like the sailing and canoeing maps, the first problem was creating my hiking route. I knew I did NOT want to hand-draw it, so I looked for a free app to record the path while I hiked. (Note #8)

Tracklia did a great job for me. (Here it is on GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.tracklia&hl=en_US. Sorry Apple people, but I can’t recommend any tools from experience, but there are options for you.) The free version of Tracklia recorded my trip and the waypoints I added along the way. I recorded it several times, both due to mistakes and as I refined the route. The alternate first stretch (the blue path on the map) was also a separate recording.

Of course there were problems: Tracklia only produced .gpx files, but ArcGIS wouldn’t use those. Working backwards from what ArcGIS accepted, I found a free converter to convert the gpx file into a kml file that ArcGIS would import. The clearly named “gpx2kml” software (https://gpx2kml.com/?results) did the job.

Later, while working with the gpx file as a basemap, I realized that I wanted to add more waypoints. I found GPX Studio to be a good choice to edit the gpx waypoints, although I never touched the route. https://gpx.studio/

If you’re keeping score at home, it was:

1.     Tracklia to record the route as a gpx file

2.     GPX Studio to edit the gpx file

3.     gpx2kml to convert it to KML

4.     To upload it to ArcGIS

I’m not sure if paid versions of these could have reduced steps; I was set on doing this for free. (It’s the principle!)

Another delay with the hiking map was going through five years of pictures to find good ones and place them on the map. Sometimes I didn’t worry about the exact location, for example during a boring stretch of the hike in the middle I included a themed group of pictures about plant species since Pawpaw is a local fruit and Honeysuckle is an invasive pest.

Pulling the pieces together led me to realize that I didn’t have enough good pictures! River Bend isn’t quite as scenic as Homer Lake (I’ll do that map someday), and there weren’t as many pictures for some areas.  Here was the problem: when you don’t have enough pictures for the path, the navigation along the route is too jumpy. (See my map’s footnote where I demonstrate this problem. And see Note #9)

My other complaint is how it displays vertical pictures. I generally take horizontal ones, but sometimes the shot needs to be vertical – and they show up too small in the StoryMap. This will be annoying for people who shoot from their phones on vacation, so it’s something they should improve!

Ultimately, I was pleased with the hiking map – but it was way more effort than I expected, for all of the reasons described above. However, if even one person downloads the gpx files and follows the hike, it would all be worth it! (See the bottom of the map for instructions on using your phone to follow the route: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bc9fb2202e464cbfbd47e5ea7138fa4f#ref-n-61BVB0)

I hope that the map inspires you to go hiking - at River Bend or anywhere.

I especially encourage you to use the StoryMaps tool to share your own adventures!

Notes:

Note #1: I’m replacing my former disclaimer with this new one!  From now on, let’s just assume that what I write has nothing to do with the City or Urbana. While I’m explaining things, I should note that I show links as full URLs; although it’s visually worse, it’s more transparent.

Note #2: This trip was one of my last hurrahs with Scouting. After twelve years as a Scout Leader, I’m reducing my role to an occasional Merit Badge and board meetings. I can’t say enough good things about Scouting as an option for kids and adults, but I tried to put it into words here: https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/2022/12/psa-for-scouts-bsa.html

Note #3: First, it was to share with the Scouts and their families.  Later, I let the parents know that these pictures would be shared more widely – and none objected.

Note #4: While traveling, I take pictures both for personal mementos and when I see something aesthetically striking. This habit can be directly traced to my high school job at a photo processing store.

Note #5: Since May 2024, my life has been an adventure! On May 3, I left the employment of the City of Urbana. Only three weeks later, with barely enough time to organize the trip (I’d been focused on my City departure!), I left for Europe with my son – a voyage that celebrated his high school graduation and my departure from the City. This meant I could leave the computer at home - I was no longer waiting for the ransomware call! On our return in late June, I threw myself into my new endeavor as an independent consultant. For a few weeks, I filled my time with hikes (and movies: https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/2024/05/movie-review-fall-guy-and-state-of.html) because I found myself with more available time than billable work. It was blissful, but a financial gut punch. In July, I began a six-month contract that’s grown to be a more-than-full-time workload – while I squeeze in marketing efforts for my new business. I worked on these maps (and this blog) in fits and starts over the summer and fall of 2024. In fact, I can tell you that I’ve spent more than 29 hours on these maps and this blog since May, thanks to my use of Timely https://www.timely.com/ for tracking work. (This was not a solicited endorsement; it’s a good tool for a reasonable price.)

Note #6: I’m like most users: impatient.  When stuff doesn’t work right away, I get clicky – and start trying to hit buttons, close windows, etc. (Computers hate me – have I mentioned that?)

Note #7: I like writing. Really, I do. But my writing process is slow. My first drafts are always too wordy. (Saying something, given how long my writing usually goes.) Writing short text for pictures is a challenge for me. On my next map, I plan to skip picture descriptions entirely!  I had similar complaints about writing weekly emails when I ran a movie theater (see Quick Tangent #2 here: https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/2016/04/boy-was-i-wrong-about-that-one.html) Also, my writing process includes many drafts and re-writes, here’s a sample page from writing this blog: https://blog.tectonicspeed.com/p/my-writing-process.html

Note #8: I planned the route over several years. I wanted a hike with the best locations and a minimum of treading on the same path twice. Given that I packed a 5-mile hike into this small (but lovely) place, I’m proud of my results.

Note #9: “My footnotes are my internal commentary on my writing; their voice sounds like me.” – That’s how I described it when I finally wrote an “About Me” page on my website: https://www.sanfordhess.com/about