Storytelling with Arcgis StoryMaps

Thursday, August 6, 2020
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern

Environmental agencies have important and complex stories to tell about their efforts to protect the environment and human health. In our increasingly data-driven world, a carefully crafted visualization can be a very powerful tool for communicating messages and telling engaging and informative stories. Our third installment in the EE2020 webinar series focused on the artful, effective, and informative application that is ArcGIS StoryMaps. ArcGIS StoryMaps is a web-based, story authoring application on the ArcGIS platform that enables you to share your maps in the context of narrative text and other multimedia content. A story can effect change, inform stakeholders, and create awareness - and maps are an integral part of storytelling. ArcGIS StoryMaps can give your narrative a stronger sense of place, illustrate spatial relationships, and add visual appeal and credibility to your ideas. 

Resources

• View Webinar Recording

• View a Collection of StoryMap Resources and Examples

• Links to Environmental Agency StoryMap Projects in EECIP

Webinar Agenda

1:00 - 1:05

Welcome & Logistics

1:05 - 1:15

Using StoryMaps to Tell The Stories of Environmental Agencies
Michelle DiNicola, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Eric Kerney, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi

1:15 - 2:15

Storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps
Ross Donihue, Esri; Michelle Thomas, Esri; Liz Todd, Esri
This segment will cover a range of information about using ArcGIS StoryMaps including:

• An introduction to ArcGIS StoryMaps

• How to get started on building StoryMaps

• Tips for effective storytelling

• Examples of good and bad StoryMaps

• Other resources for training, tips, etc

2:15 - 2:30

Creating Guidance to Promote Effective and Accessible StoryMaps
Alex O’Neil, U.S. EPA Office of Mission Support

2:30 - 3:00

Open Discussion/Q&A
This segment will include time for attendee questions and opportunities to share information about experiences and best practices in communicating with StoryMaps.

Featured Speakers

• Michelle DiNicola is the Digital Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. As part of PA DEP’s Communications Office, Michelle oversees all digital communications for the Department. Prior to joining PA DEP as Digital Director, Michelle worked as a Digital and Print Producer for the Indianapolis Star, and has over 12 years of experience in international journalism as a Web and Mobile Editor for Agence France-Presse in Washington, DC. Michelle works with PA DEP’s Communications team, GIS team, and program staff to design and build StoryMaps for a wide range of audiences. She has extensive video editing experience and leverages that experience to create videos that help enhance the Department’s StoryMaps. Michelle also handles the Department’s social media channels, website, and blog, and utilizes these platforms to help promote PA DEP’s StoryMaps and share the great work being done by the Department.

• Ross Donihue is a cartographer and product engineer on Esri's StoryMaps team. Before joining Esri he founded Maps for Good, a visual storytelling team that produces one-of-a-kind maps and digital media for better-world initiatives. Ross is a National Geographic Explorer and has a B.A. in Geography from Macalester College and a Masters Degree from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

• Eric Kerney is the Senior Environmental Specialist for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi in south central Michigan.  Eric obtained his MA in Geography from Western Michigan University, and has over ten years of experience as a Geospatial and Environmental Scientist. His initiation into the realm of resource conflict came through working for the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, dealing with 80 miles of PCB contamination from legacy Papermills. Eric is committed to respecting both traditional and technological methods relating to mnomen restoration, and has presented on how to inventory and assess wild rice using aerial imagery flights, remote sensing, and unmanned aerial vehicles.  At NHBP he has developed their Tribal Water Division, and is always investigating how to better map/visualize waterbody status, with dashboards displaying live environmental conditions. He also helps the Tribe pursue recognition of Potawatomi Ceded Territories through mapping Treaties and historic settlements. Currently Eric is focused on utilizing multimedia environmental feeds from IoT sensors, and is exploring process automation with both JavaScript and Jupyter Notebooks.  He is an elected board member of Improving Michigan’s Access to Geographic Networks (IMAGIN), and serves on the Friends of the St. Joseph River and Kalamazoo Complete Streets Advisory Committees. 

• Alex O’Neill is a Program Analyst with the U.S. EPA where he supports the Agency’s diverse geospatial portfolios. His interests lie at the nexus of geography, ecology, and culture – the ways in which the stories that we tell ourselves about the world shape the worlds that we inhabit. Alex has supported a variety of environmental missions both in the United States and in South Asia, including high-altitude ecology work in the Eastern Himalayas. He holds Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Forestry (MF) degrees from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology and Anthropology from Georgetown University. To learn more about Alex, consider visiting his StoryMap about the Sikkim Himalayas.

• Michelle Thomas joined Esri's StoryMaps team as a Web Producer and Community Manager in April 2019. As a Communications Coordinator and Digital Media Specialist, Michelle previously created strategic storytelling campaigns to promote public land management and conservation at the Bureau of Land Management within the U.S. Interior Department and for America's farmers, ranchers, and foresters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Esri's storytelling platforms served central roles in her campaigns at both federal agencies, tying stories together through the land and resources important to her target audiences. Michelle provided colleagues with training and guidance for effectively using ArcGIS StoryMaps and Esri's classic templates to serve customer needs. She joined Esri's StoryMaps team to share these experiences widely and empower storytellers globally to make stories that matter.

• Elizabeth Todd is a Multimedia Specialist on Esri's StoryMaps team, specializing in community-based GIS and storytelling. She previously worked for the National Audubon Society as a Dangermond GIS and Climate Fellow. During her time there, she worked with Virginia Rose to create the Birdability GIS Platform, which uses crowdsourced information to make the outdoor and birding spaces more inclusive. Elizabeth believes community collaboration is critical, and strives to bring a community-conscious approach to all her work.