#NetNarr: Maps as Stories/Stories as Maps

 

Thanks to my friend, Daniel, for sharing this intriguing map-building/story-telling site with us on Twitter called Story Maps a few weeks ago. As we continue to dive into  Networked Narratives (NetNarr), I wonder if this kind of mapping site might be a useful resource for building maps and worlds, with stories.

I like the site seems to be open-source, with plenty of links for tutorials on how to build and share story maps.  The map that Daniel shared — Bruised Borders — looks at places where disputes over boundaries of countries have erupted into conflict. (The embedded materials aren’t great here … I suggest following links to the site itself for full experience. If your browser won’t load the embed, you might need to allow for unsafe scripts.)

 

Or this one, about economic inequities in American cities.

I am not sure how this Story Maps site might be useful for consideration of Networked Narratives — which has shifted into interactions around fictional worlds.

But the underlying idea is to nurture a “civic imagination” so that we can make the world a better place (or that’s how I am understanding it right now) and maybe these kinds of maps as stories might allow us another entry into that concept..

Peace (on the map and beyond),
Kevin

One Comment
  1. The ESRI story maps are a high level of sophistication. There are other ways to include maps in stories, as well. On the http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com site I’ve been pointing to different uses of maps for several years, including my own efforts to use maps to draw attention, volunteers and dollars to tutor/mentor programs in high poverty areas of Chicago.

    A learning project could simply be to have students look at these different examples and talk about what they like, don’t like, or how they might do similar work themselves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *