StoryMaps are interactive web pages where maps, writing, and multimedia content are presented seamlessly together. StoryMaps are a popular project in the Natural Resources Science (NRS) department at URI, where many students take classes in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). StoryMaps allow GIS and remote sensing data to be placed in context, creating a holistic picture of a project or situation.
Creating a StoryMap provides students with hands-on experience in digital science communication. These projects are a creative way to synthesize skills in GIS, writing, and web design. StoryMaps are widely used by professional organizations, including the National Park Service, the Library of Congress, the National Audubon Society, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Geographic, the United States Geological Survey, and the Smithsonian Institute. StoryMaps are a valuable addition to a student portfolio that showcases multimedia science storytelling.
Classes at URI that have used StoryMaps for projects include: NRS410 (Fundamentals of GIS), BES521 (Rhetorical Field Methods in Science Communication), NRS445 (Invasive Species Research, Management, and Policy), NRS423 (Wetland Ecology), NRS522 (Advanced GIS), EVS509 (Web Based Mapping), as well as independent studies and professional internships.
Some students take inspiration from the North Woods to create StoryMaps. The following StoryMaps are real examples of student works that have focused on diverse topics in the North Woods across different classes at URI. They include information about environmental management, human impacts, history, ecology, GIS/remote sensing, and stewardship of the North Woods.
Citizen Science in the North Woods:
Understanding People and Place through iNaturalist.
Ally Overbay, Master of Environmental Science and Management 2024. Completed for WRT533: Graduate Writing in the Biological and Life Sciences. Winner of the 2022-2023 Graduate Writing Award.
Digitizing the Past:
Using Remote Sensing to Uncover Historical Features in the URI North Woods.
AnnaFaith Jorgensen, Master of Environmental Science and Management 2024. Completed for NRS410: Fundamentals of GIS.
An Analysis of the North Woods Superfund Site:
From an Ecological and Environmental Justice Perspective.
Mallory Lentz and Ashley Katusa, Master of Environmental Science and Management 2024.
Completed for BES521: Rhetorical Field Methods in Science Communication
Invasive Species Overview of the North Woods:
A Comprehensive Guide to Inform the Stewardship and Management of the University of Rhode Island North Woods.
Jessie Adley, Alexandra Beardwood, Karlo Berger, Tyler Correia, Ian O’Hara, Gabrielle Pezich, Dr. Laura Meyerson, Anna Sorgie, and Maggie Watson.
Completed for NRS 445: Invasive Species Research, Management and Policy
If a Tree Falls in the Forest and No One is Around to Map It:
Exploring the effectiveness of manual digitization of downed trees in URI’s Northwoods.
Jonathan Thomas. May 2, 2022.
Common Birds of the North Woods: Three common species that reside in the North Woods, and Suggestions on where to find them.
Megan Grey. November 21, 2023.