When we first developed Terraso’s story mapping tool, we built it for a very specific purpose: sharing the narratives of sustainability communities. As time has passed, however, we’ve discovered story maps have helped share many other kinds of stories, from the recognition of groups representing the Wapichan people in Guyana, to the identification of flooding support centers in Chennai, to people simply sharing their own travel diaries. We now recognize that maps have broad appeal for all kinds of storytellers, and we have plans to expand Terraso to better support these new audiences.

In the meanwhile, anyone interested in making a story map can, even if you aren’t focused on conservation. Are you interested in building a story map, but aren’t sure where to get started? Here are a few steps we recommend to begin your journey.

Look at examples

There are many different ways to use the story map tool.  Some examples which show off different approaches include:

• The Mud that Makes Us: Conservation International weaves the geological and social history of Guyana together to explain the modern reasons for flooding on the coast, and advocate for sustainable land management practices. 
• Paisajes Sostenibles de Catacamas Showcase: Heifer International explains how Honduran ranchers restored their land through a new rotational grazing plan. (In Spanish)
• Tierras en Conflicto: Fundacion ALDEA shares research on carbon credit theft in Ecuador with elegant reveals of map layers. (In Spanish)
• Mia’s Journey: Follow a woman’s life as she travels around her corner of the globe, with a personal narrative elegantly integrated with stories of place.  

Gather your resources

The best story maps are filled with media: pictures, videos, data, and even sounds. Before even opening Terraso, we recommend you gather the content that you’ll utilize in your story and keep it handy in a folder on your computer. If you haven’t captured media yet, your first step should be to go out and take pictures and video using a smartphone or camera. Take a look at our video story-telling article for some inspiration.

Plan your story

Our story maps tool breaks a narrative into “chapters” – short paragraphs of text that are accompanied by a title, a piece of media, perhaps some data, and, most importantly, a location. 

As you compose your narrative, ask yourself:

• Where should the map be focused to convey this part of the story?
• Is there a picture, GIF,  or video I can share that will help the audience engage?
• Is there a geospatial dataset I have that will make information clearer?

Create a group (optional)

If you plan to share geospatial data in your story map, you’ll need to follow a few extra steps. As of this writing, story maps can only incorporate maps you’ve already built in Terraso.

First, create a group. This will be the place where you upload files and build the maps you will reference in your story map. Note that you can make the group “closed” if you want to keep your raw data private. Follow our guide for formatting your data files, upload your data file, and then visualize it using a simple process. 

Once you have made a map in your group, you will be able to add it as a layer in your story map.

Create a story map

Now you’re ready to create a story map! To get started, go to the story map page and select “create a story map”. Follow our guide on building a story map – and don’t forget you can collaborate with your colleagues to improve it. Here are some tips for engaging stories:

• The best stories focus on people! Use pictures and videos of people, explain what they care about and are trying to do, and explain how they achieve their goal. We’ve learned from great storytellers that human narratives are a great way to get people to focus on the place and its importance.
  
• Don’t forget to use the 3D map! If your story takes place in an area with hills or mountains, take advantage of the ability to change perspective. Right click and drag up and down to change the viewing angle.
  
• The best time to change the location of a story map chapter is when you want the user to pay attention to the new point of view. Are you talking about a new place? Is there a new angle to the location that helps to describe your point? That’s a great time to change your viewer’s perspective. Alternatively, if you want people to be more focused on the chapter content, it’s ok to keep the location stationary.

Please feel free to reach out to us at any stage in the process. We’d love to support you in telling the best possible story.

Good luck!